Total River Therapy
During 2023 and 2024, we are engaging with community groups on the River Don by offering opportunities to connect with their local river. This project is funded by the Shared Prosperity Fund and Garfield Weston Foundation.
Activities include:
- Guided walks to observe the river and its wildlife
- Demonstrations of monitoring techniques
- Volunteer tasks such as litter picks and habitat management
- Citizen science training opportunities in river health
- Climate resilience workshops – water butts, rain gardens and permeable paving
- Installing planter rain gardens
Our Autumn programme of events is now available, please see below.
To get involved in the project, as an individual or a community group, please contact Maddy on m.fowler@tyneriverstrust.org.
Reducing pollution from farming in the River Don
Moving the location of a muck bay is a simple way to improve water quality
Only 30% of rivers in the Tyne catchment meet water quality targets. The River Don, which forms part of the Tyne catchment, is a failing water body. We’ve been working with the Environment Agency to improve its water quality by tackling pollution from farming.
One of the key areas for improvement is reducing run-off from farms close to the river. Simple measures such as moving and storing muck in a contained muck bay can significantly reduce the amount of dirty water that flows into the river.
Better fencing can stop farm animals from getting into the river and polluting it
The other ways we’re improving water quality in the River Don include:
- Improving fencing to reduce sediment and stop farm animals from entering the river
- Using green engineering such as willow spiling to reduce bank erosion and sedimentation of the upper Don
- Working with businesses close to the river to make sure their waste is not going into the river
This work is important to increase bio-diversity and improve the quality of spawning areas for Brown Trout.
