South East Rivers Trust

Flood risk is increasing — highlighting the importance of responsible planning and resilient landscapes.

Natural Flood Management helps restore natural river processes, slowing and storing water to help reduce flooding in existing flood prone communities.

#NaturalFloodManagement #FloodResilience

You can play a direct role in restoring your local river 💧

Upcoming events:
🧤 River clean-up — Crawley
🔎 Outfall Safari — Morden Hall Park
🌿 River restoration — Morden Hall Park
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family Activity Day — Wokingham
🐟 Eel monitoring — East Molesey

Find events near you: southeastriverstrust.org/events

Can slowing water upstream reduce flooding downstream? 💧

On Pipp Brook in Dorking, we’re installing Leaky Woody Dams — simple, nature-based structures that slow the flow, store water higher up the catchment and improve habitat.

Watch to see NFM in action 🎥

#NaturalFloodManagement

🌟 #WomenInScience 🌟 Meet Cacey Cottrill, our new Eden Catchment & Cluster Officer, working with partners across the River Eden and the Eden Valley Farm Cluster to help create healthier, more resilient rivers for people and nature. 💧🌿#EveryVoiceInScience

Spring is on the horizon —
We're offering free, curriculum-linked river education for schools across the Loddon, Medway and Rother catchments (plus Surrey & Wokingham). Assemblies, river walks and river dipping — all local, no transport costs.

education@southeastriverstrust.org

Happy #WorldWetlandsDay 🌍🌱

At Chamber Mead, wetlands are doing brilliant work for the Hogsmill — cleaning water, storing carbon and creating space for wildlife to thrive.

They’ve also helped bring water voles back to the river after 20+ years 🦦💙

Flooding. Water quality. Nature-based solutions.
And the evidence showing what works for rivers.

Our January newsletter brings together the latest updates from across the South East.

👉Read here: mailchi.mp/southeastriv...
or sign up: southeastriverstrust.org/mailing-list

Rainy days show why working with nature matters 🌧️🌿 At Green Farm, hosted by Kent Wildlife Trust & funded by Southern Water, NFM features were slowing flows, storing water and boosting habitat. A great example of partnership working and why scaling up NbS matters.

Flood warnings are in place across the South East after Storm Chandra. 🌧️
On the upper River Mole, nature-based solutions are already working: a leaky dam in Ruben’s Ghyll is holding back fast-rising water, while 600+ new hedgerow whips over 250m help slow runoff and protect communities. #SlowTheFlow

Turning donations into data – and data into action for the River Wandle 💧
Thanks to Crowdfunder support, we’ve carried out sediment testing at 10 sites to understand pollution pressures and target restoration where it will make the biggest difference for wildlife and river resilience.

#ThrowbackThursday to 5 July at Capel Village Fete, sharing our Natural Flood Management project on the Alder Stream 🌿
Locals were amazed by the variety of life in their stream — proof that healthy rivers are full of surprises. 🐟
bit.ly/NFMMedway
#Medway #FloodResilience

The @naturalengland.bsky.social
#SpeciesRecoveryProgramme has invested £13m to help 150+ threatened species across England. On the Hogsmill, it’s enabling our WET Hogsmill project:
🐾 Reintroduce water voles
🌿 Create habitats for European eel & brown/sea trout
🦔 Build a wildlife pass under the A3

🌿 #TransformationTuesday 🌿
From desks to wellies! 💪 During the recent SERT away day, we planted 2,400 wetland plants, across 12 native species at Coldharbour Farm, Kent — creating habitats & boosting biodiversity. 🦋
Rivers & wetlands transformed for wildlife & communities.

Are rivers now getting the recognition they deserve?
📍 River Test just gained legal rights to flow freely + cleanly
📍 River Ouse made history last year
📚 Is a River Alive? by @robgmacfarlane.bsky.social explores this global movement
📢 Petition now live: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/73...

💧 Big impact for UK #rivers— including here in the #SouthEast!
🧪 1,300+ pollution interventions
🌱 340 hectares of improved habitat
👀 2,800+ citizen scientists
🏞 900+km of river monitored
We're proud to be part of the movement. Read the report here: theriverstrust.org/our-work/our...

💧 It all flows to the river.

This #PlasticFreeJuly, we’re sharing simple swaps to cut plastic waste and protect the South East’s rivers.

Every bit of plastic we use can end up in our waterways—harming wildlife & polluting habitats.

🌿 Let’s be part of the change.

#ProtectOurRivers

🌊 The UK River Summit returns!

📍 Morden Hall Park
🗓 Tues 8 July

Join SERT’s in-river workshops—fish surveys, riverfly monitoring, & restoration demos—and connect with experts working to protect our rivers.

🎟 Details: theriversummit.com

#UKRiverSummit #ProtectOurRivers

💧 On scorching days like today, it’s clear our rivers can’t cope with drought or floods. Only 1/3 of river stretches are in good health. We must make #spaceforwater: buffers, wetlands, trees. Govt must back farmers to restore rivers at scale. Sign the petition: makingspaceforwater.com

🌿🎨 Nature meets creativity!
During one of our Project Kingfisher education sessions, students created stunning nature art inspired by the river’s wildlife.
🦋 Can you guess which species sparked their imagination? #InsectWeek

Eel monitoring training at Molesey Lock - South East Rivers Trust We are continuing the annual monitoring of the European eel at Molesey Lock until October and we are looking for volunteers to help.

Did you know that European Eels are critically endangered? Join us to help monitor them with @zslofficial.bsky.social
We’ll train you to check traps, record data & release eels as part of the Thames Eel Project.
📅 22 July
📍 Molesey Lock
Sign up: bit.ly/EelMonitorJu... #Surrey #Volunteer

💧Last week we launched Making Space for Water. This week we took the campaign to the Houses of Parliament.

Here's why we are asking government to make #SpaceForWater and restore our rivers with nature-rich corridors, and why we think you should too

‪@nationaltrust.org.uk‬ @beavertrust.bsky.social‬

The EA report states: "The nation’s water resources are under huge and steadily increasing pressure."
But there are solutions.
At West Pikefish Farm, we've helped restore a floodplain on the River Teise to:
💧 Store 4,000m³ of water
🚫 Reduce summer abstraction
Find out how: bit.ly/WestPikefish...

We joined the @nationaltrust.org.uk to celebrate 130 years of protecting nature 👏Steve Reed MP named Sissinghurst as one of his favourite spots—especially, Frogmead Meadow, a SERT project:
✅ 2,600m³ flood storage
✅ Wetland habitat restored
✅ 200k+ people reached
#SpaceForWater #NFM

💧 Our rivers are in trouble. But there’s hope. We’re supporting the new #SpaceForWater campaign to restore rivers through nature-rich corridors that boost biodiversity, reduce pollution, and help tackle drought and flooding. Join the campaign: bit.ly/SpaceforWate...

We’re teaming up with CGI to test an innovative approach to tracking invasive Himalayan balsam using satellite imagery, citizen science, and AI. Join us for a training session on the Hogsmill River to help build a detection model that can spot this invasive species from space: bit.ly/HBSatelliteA...

Accountability is a step forward—but the real work lies ahead.

In the South East, small-scale pollution + rising drought risks threaten river health.

We need action that protects rivers and builds long-term water resilience. 💧

#WaterResilience #Rivers #SERT

Over 25 sacks of litter — and two e-bikes — were pulled from the banks of the River Wandle in just 90 minutes during yesterday’s volunteer clean-up. 💪💧 Huge thanks to everyone who rolled up their sleeves! Help save your local river: southeastriverstrust.org/volunteer
#RiverCleanUp

💧 New wetland alert!
Coldharbour Farm in the River Sherway catchment is a nature-based success story 🌿

✔️ 5,300m³/yr Replenish
✔️ Flood resilience
✔️ Rare bird habitat

Thanks @sainsburys.bsky.social & @theriverstrust.bsky.social 🙌

bit.ly/ColdharbourF...

#WetlandRestoration #NatureBasedSolutions

Our Director of Water, Land & Catchments visited the House of Commons to represent SERT in key talks with MPs about the future of our rivers. With many chalk streams in South East constituencies, urgent action is needed to protect and restore these rare ecosystems. #Rivers #ChalkStreams

We agree with our friends at The Rivers Trust — this doesn’t go far enough.
We need:
🔎 Stronger river health monitoring (including citizen science)
📈 Ambitious action on agriculture, urban runoff, and highways, not just water companies
💪 Clear government commitment to bold, urgent change