Community Catchments:
Darwen Natural Flood Management
In 2025, Ribble Rivers Trust launched a new project aimed at reducing flood risk in three Lancashire towns; Wrea Green, Darwen, and Clitheroe. The Community Catchments initiative will work closely with residents, businesses, and landowners on community-led natural flood management. Our goal is to empower communities to address flood risks head-on, with a little help from us, of course!
Restoring Darwen Moors
The Ribble Rivers Trust has been working closely with landowners to help slow the flow of water off Darwen Moors, aiming to reduce flood risk in the Darwen area.
It’s not just us. Lancashire Wildlife Trust, led by the Lancashire Peat Partnership, has also been undertaking work to restore the peatland habitats.
With over 200 homes and key roads like the A666 at risk of flooding, the work is vital for the community!
Why are the moors so important?
Darwen Moor is primarily a blanket bog, a type of peatland that covers large areas of the uplands. These moorlands are vital for several reasons.
- Peatlands act as natural sponges, absorbing and storing excess rainfall, which helps to slow down water runoff during heavy rains and thereby reduces the risk of flooding downstream.
- They are also one of the most effective carbon sinks on Earth, storing vast amounts of carbon within their peat soils and helping to mitigate climate change.
- Moorlands provide a unique habitat for a variety of plant and animal species, many of which are specially adapted to this environment; restoring and protecting these habitats supports biodiversity and ecological health.
- Peatlands help improve water quality through natural filtration, trapping pollutants and sediments as water passes through.
Beyond their environmental functions, moorlands hold cultural significance and offer recreational opportunities such as walking, birdwatching, and enjoying nature, which contribute to community well-being.
What are we doing to Reduce Flood Risk in Darwen?
As part of the project, we’ve teamed up with Lancashire Peat Partnership to address degraded peat the top of the moors by creating bunding areas. These hold water back and raise the water table to more natural levels- rewetting the peat. They are also introducing stone and timber dams to slow water flow and reduce peat sediment runoff.
Volunteers are also getting stuck in- helping to plant 45,000 sphagnum plugs and 1,900 other peatland species across the site to speed up the colonisation process!
Whilst here at the Ribble Rivers Trust we are focusing on Duckshaw Brook on the east side of the moor. We’ve already installed nineteen leaky dams to slow the flow and reducing the immediate influx of water downstream during storm events and high rainfall. We have also planted around 1400 trees to create three hectares of clough woodland, creating new habitat and increasing biodiversity within the area!
How will we know if it’s working?
Our Data and Evidence team is working tirelessly with the help of volunteers to gather vital information about our rivers. This monitoring project will collect data pre and post capital works of Natural Flood Management data.
It’s a rare opportunity given limited funding for long-term monitoring. If the next stage of funding is approved, we hope to continue collecting data until 2027. This will give us comprehensive “before and after” data to assess how each project impacts flood risk reduction in vulnerable communities.
So far, we’ve installed: 17 water level loggers, 2 atmosphere loggers, 1 rain gauge and 4 cameras. Our team have also held 4 citizen scientist events with more planned for the future- sign up to our volunteer bulletin to stay involved!
Rivers are at the heart of our local landscapes. Whether you’re casting a line, exploring a riverside trail, or simply basking in the beauty of nature, you can help protect these special places now, and for generations to come.
By becoming a Ribble Rivers Trust supporter for just £3 a month, you’ll be funding real, on-the-ground action.
Ready to make a difference? Learn more here: ribbletrust.org.uk/become-a-supporter
