LOCAL rivers charity Trent Rivers Trust is looking for people to help with practical woodland work as well as citizen scientists.
The work is part of a project aiming to reduce flood risk using natural measures on a brook near Loughborough. Volunteers wanting to get involved with practical conservation work will be supported by a team of conservation and natural flood management experts. The team will install small wooden structures, slowing the flow of water in the woodlands at Beacon Hill Country Park and The Outwoods. This will help boost the sponginess of the area, holding back water during extreme rainfall events. Sessions will run between 30th April until 25th June.
Citizen scientists will support vital work monitoring the impact of natural flood reduction measures. Following an initial training session, volunteers will be able to conduct monthly health checks of their local river at set locations in and around Loughborough.
Head of Landscapes and Partnerships, Ruth Needham says:
‘Encouraging the use of trees and woodlands to help reduce flood risk is collaborative work. It brings communities and landowners together on flood issues that will only become more pressing in the future. As part of this work, we’re hoping to make a practical difference on the ground.
We’re also hoping to recruit some citizen scientists to help us monitor river health as part of the initiative. We’re keen to give communities the tools they need to understand flood issues and river health.
Having worked across the Midlands with landowners and communities at risk of flooding on over 30 natural flood management projects, we know that these projects make a positive difference. We are thrilled to be able to invite communities near Loughborough to get involved with on-site delivery.
Volunteering is good fun, it’s a great way to spend the day outdoors, be active and do something positive for the environment’.
Loughborough has one of the highest levels of flood risk in the East Midlands. The work volunteers will assist with will help install small natural features to hold back water from the Moat Brook, which has contributed to flooding in Loughborough on numerous occasions. The brook rises close to Beacon Hill Country Park, and The Outwoods. It then flows in a northeast direction towards Loughborough, joining the Wood Brook, then flowing into the River Soar in the town centre.
The work in Loughborough is part of a larger project across the Soar in Leicestershire supported by a partnership between Aviva and WWF, who joined forces in 2021 to develop projects that work with nature to help reduce the effects of extreme weather, particularly flooding, on communities in the UK. The aim of these initiatives across the Soar is to increase community resilience to flooding by working with nature and communities. So far, the project has directly engaged over 4,000 people from the local area to help make a difference on the ground, supporting communities to become more flood aware and prepared.
To get involved, please get in touch with poppy@trentriverstrust.org, or search for Trent Rivers Trust on Eventbrite.
