Rivers Trust

Healthy rivers are a powerful ally in mitigating the effects of climate change; they can protect communities from flood and drought events, and they bolster ecosystem and biodiversity resilience. Yet, the majority of our rivers in the UK & Ireland are far from healthy. Our vital rivers are plagued by sewage, chemical, nutrient and plastic pollution. They have often been heavily modified with their natural features removed, making the effects of pollution much worse and leaving rivers less able to respond to the pressures of climate change. According to the State of our Rivers Report 2024: 

- No single stretch of river in England or Northern Ireland is in good overall health. 

- Just 15% of English, 31% of Northern Irish and 50% of Irish river stretches reach good ecological health standards. 

- Toxic chemicals that remain in ecosystems for decades pollute every stretch of English rivers. 

We want this project to be a blueprint for accelerating investment in nature recovery at scale, with the funding from the Foundation to act as a catalyst which could deliver  multiple environmental and social benefits. 

Our partnership (2024/25) aims to: 

- Create 3 new jobs that will be focused on improving the resilience of the catchment where Bentley’s operations are based. 

- Improve the quality and access of the blue – green space in and around Crewe including an improvement in water quality and habitat. 

- Provide regular volunteering opportunities for the local community, and ideally establish a new ‘Friends of Balley Brook’ community group who will continue to lead on community volunteering and citizen science initiatives. 

- Reduce flooding by working and engaging farmers in the upper parts of the catchment and establishing the appropriate targeted nature based solutions.