River Restoration Conference 2022: Presenting the Blythe and the Cole

We have had the pleasure of showcasing two of our project sites at the River Restoration Centre’s 23rd Annual Conference!

The event brought together industry professionals from across the UK and Ireland to learn and share the best restoration practices for our rivers and watercourses.

The two sites, Blythe Mill and the Kingshurst Brook, have been major parts of our project work on Blythe Alive and Love Your River Cole respectively over the last couple of years. We were thrilled to share the outcomes of our work with fellow river enthusiasts, and share ideas and and experiences of river restoration with others.

At Blythe Mill we have been working to improve the river Blythe and surrounding area as part of our Blythe Alive project, funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) Water Environment Grant. Blythe Mill has been a key site for large-scale conservation works to improve the floodplain, enhance biodiversity and make the area more attractive to wetland birds. We created areas of good quality habitats for these species, planted several thousands of plants and seeded huge areas with native wildflowers.

The Kingshurst Brook at Meriden Park is a tributary of the River Cole. During our Love Your River Cole project, funded by NLHF’s Green Recovery Challenge Fund, we carried out a variety of restoration works to improve the stream channel and transform the former nearby boating lake into a range of habitats to enhance biodiversity. We also installed a platform on the lake, to improve access for people visiting the park.

Thanks to the RRC for organising the event and giving us this opportunity to showcase our work!