News

Cumbria River Restoration wins the European River Prize

6 December, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

Cumbrian river restoration programme scoops the prestigious European Riverprize. We are honoured and humbled to be a part of the ambitious programme to restore and improve rivers across Cumbria, which has just been awarded the prestigious European Riverprize. The Environment Agency and Natural England set up this forward thinking programme in 2010 and we at SCRT have been there since its inception. Over the past 12 years, the partnership has continued to grow and now includes Eden Rivers Trust, West…

Cumbria River Restoration finalists for European River Prize

23 November, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

The Cumbrian River Restoration Strategy (CRRS) has reached the finals for the prestigious European River Prize 2022. This Environment Agency/Natural England led strategy aims to restore natural river processes in Cumbria. The CRRS was developed to improve the form and function of three catchment areas, the Rivers Eden, Derwent and Kent, Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) and Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) for the benefit of people and wildlife. Historically, modifications were made to our rivers before it was…

Bekka is leaving SCRT

10 November, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

Our colleague Bekka Corrie-Close is leaving us, after almost 13 years working for the Trust. Bekka started as a volunteer for SCRT, Electrofishing on the River Bela, before becoming the Cumbria Freshwater Invasive Non-Native Species Officer in 2010. Since then, Bekka has become an expert in her field as well as a much respected, hardworking member of the team. Bekka is leaving to focus on her farm in South Cumbria and we wish her all the best for the future!…

Bowston has a visitor

27 October, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

This summer, SCRT and partners removed Bowston weir. This is the first major weir to be removed on the River Kent, Site of Special Scientific Interest and Special Area of Conservation (SSSI/SAC). Why you ask? Well by removing weirs, you can restore a rivers form and function, reduce flooding, improve fish migration, improve biodiversity and improve navigation for river users! River restoration really does provide us with so many benefits including to help make our rivers more climate resilient for…

Lambrigg beck weir removed

11 October, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

The River Kent system sees another weir removed. This follows on from the first major weir removed this summer in Bowston by SCRT. In September, we removed a small weir on a tributary of the River Mint, part of the Kent system, after months of preparatory work. Emma Wright, project officer for the LIFE R4ever Kent project, has spearheaded the removal in order to help improve the form and function of Lambrigg beck. Removal is the second phase of a…

Electrofishing programme finished for 2022

6 October, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

September is now over, which means so is our annual Electrofishing programme. Electofishing is a monitoring technique used to assess the health and abundance of fish species in our becks and rivers. This year we have had our busiest yet, with a full summer programme of days, between June and September. We asked for the help of volunteers to lend a hand and we had a fantastic response, with many dates being oversubscribed. Thank you to everyone who contributed to…

Blue-Green algae on Windermere

31 August, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

There has been a lot of interest and local and national news regarding the blue-green algae currently present on Lake Windermere. Some of our partners from the LoveWindermere partnership have put together a really useful information sheet about blue-green algae and Cyanobacteria. Cyanobacterial blooms on Windermere – Joint Statement by UKCEH_LU_FBA If you do have any further questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us. If you’re interested, we also have additional information about water pollution available…

Volunteer with us!

2 August, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

We have an exciting summer monitoring programme ahead, with various dates and locations for you to join us Electrofishing! These vital surveys allow us to assess the health and abundance of fish populations in our becks and rivers. Balsam Bashing events are ongoing in the catchment, with volunteers tackling the invasive non native species, Himalayan Balsam (HB). Repeat visits over a number of years, can eradicate this plant from entire areas, allowing native species to regenerate. Family river dipping! Bring…

SCRT events in July!

19 July, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

We continue to organise a range of different events throughout the summer months for you to get involved in! Here are just some of the events we have been busy with the last week.. Fight the Aliens Day – completed Another year of the Fight the Aliens- Big Balsam Bash took place this weekend, with volunteers joining SCRT and Friends of the Lake District to do a large scale balsam bash. ‘Balsam Bashing’ refers to pulling Himalayan Balsam, an invasive…

New ‘Love Windermere’ partnership launched

7 July, 2022 by Rachael Halhead

The new “Love Windermere” partnership is a group of organisations from across South Cumbria that have come together to tackle the challenges facing Lake Windermere. Nutrients, climate change, more extreme weather patterns and increased seasonal tourism  have started to put the lake and its water quality under increasing pressure. These factors are causing ever increasing problems to the ecology of the lake, including an increased number of algal growths and a decline in wildlife and biodiversity. Members of the partnership…