West Cumbria Rivers Trust has completed its Restoring the Derwent project.
Over the past year, West Cumbria Rivers Trust has worked across the Cocker and Glenderamackin catchment to plant 8.49ha of native woodland, restore 4371m of hedgerows, install 388 in-river leaky dams, plant 355 in-field trees and create 31,500m² of wetlands.
Project officer Clair Payne says: “We’re so grateful to the 27 landowners who have been involved in this project and we’d like to thank the 12 local contractors who have been crucial in helping us to deliver this project over the past year.
“We’d also like to thank funders Defra and the National Lottery Heritage Fund as well as partners Natural England and the Environment Agency. It’s been so rewarding to see this project completed, and we can’t wait to see what comes next.”
The project also wouldn’t have been possible without the help of West Cumbria Rivers Trust’s volunteers and the youth groups of the area who gave a total of 251 days of their time across 43 events.
Regular volunteer Tom Malone says: “It has been highly enjoyable and rewarding taking part in the volunteer activities, meeting other like-minded people in the community and learning new skills along the way. Knowing the work we have carried out will leave a positive change on the landscape for years to come is fantastic.”
The project also saw the creation of two regular volunteer groups, with the start of the Cocker Catchment Volunteer group and the Glenderamackin Catchment Volunteer group, set up by one of the newest members of the trust’s team: Sarah Clarke. Sarah started as a trainee a year ago funded through the project and has been a key part of the projects’ success.
Sarah says: “I’ve greatly enjoyed my first year with the trust and have particularly enjoyed getting to know the local communities in the catchments. It’s really special to be able to share our passion for restoring the Derwent with the people who live in the catchment and I’m really looking forward to continuing to deliver volunteer events. Check out our website for upcoming volunteer opportunities.”
Further information can be found at: https://westcumbriariverstrust.org/projects/cocker or https://westcumbriariverstrust.org/projects/glenderamackin
