ARK - Action for the River Kennet.

6 days of water vole surveying on the Kennet completed on our P4N project at The Wilderness.
On Friday we had 2 of our DofE volunteers with us, learning how to spot signs of water water and helping with surveying. Thank you to all our #citizenscience vole volunteers💙🙌
#chalkstream

Our trained volunteer water vole surveyors carried out more surveying on Thursday on the Kennet at The Wilderness, Kintbury.
More signs identified, logged & mapped.
The surveys are part of our P4N project, in advance of phase 2 river restoration works to improve this stretch of #chalkstream

Our trained water vole surveying volunteers today on the Kennet recording signs of this keystone species, putting flags on the riverbank to mark up significant areas in advance of the P4N phase 2 river restoration works.
Thanks to today's team.
To volunteer email anna@kennetandpang.org
#volunteer

Water voles are part of a healthy river ecosystem.
Our P4N project volunteer water vole survey training day today at The Wilderness, Kintbury has enabled us to train up more volunteers to help us with surveying for Britain's fastest declining mammal on the Kennet.

This morning on the Kennet at Eastridge Estate, our Director Charlotte Hitchmough, our Education and Outreach Manager Anna Forbes, with River Keeper Jack Uridge discussing several pollution issues on this iconic chalk stream and what can be done with Danny Kruger MP.
#chalkstream #riverkennet

That's a wrap! The final River School of this academic year. Burbage Primary had a wonderful time.
Thanks to:
Our River School funders making it possible for us to work with 2,000 students a year
The fisheries, keepers & other riparian landowners
A gigantic thanks to our River School volunteers 🙌🙌🙌

We are supporting #sportfishriversmonth
encouraging everyone to do something positive for their river
Our Education & Outreach Manager Anna has been running a Riverfly Refresher for our trained volunteer monitors, hear why our newest riverfly monitor has got involved.
#citizenscience #chalkstream

A fantastic screening of Britain's Hidden Fishes followed by a Q&A with it's maker Jack Perks at The Parade Cinema Marlborough this evening. Drinks kindly sponsored by Ramsbury Brewery.
Thanks to everyone who came supported this ARK fundraiser. Massive thanks to Jack for making such a superb film!

A brilliant amount achieved on the Kennet today by a corporate team from James Cowper Kreston, Newbury.
The team worked with us to harvest stream water-crowfoot at Minal, then plant at Kintbury.
Thanks to JCK for your hard work today & for supporting us!
#chalkstream #conservation

23rd July a special screening of 'Britain's Hidden Fishes' with Q&A session. Last few tickets available.

Join us at The Parade Cinema Marlborough for an evening with Jack Perks, maker of Britain's Hidden Fishes.

Book tickets here:
www.theparadecinema.com/movie/ark-br...

#Rivers #fish

The @wildtrouttrust.bsky.social get together this year returns to the Kennet.
This morning is a packed programme of talks and this afternoon we will visit 4 projects ARK - Action for the River Kennet are involved in.
#chalkstream #browntrout

A great day in the Kennet running a Riverfly Partnership accredited Riverfly Monitoring Training Workshop for new volunteers.
We will continue to support these volunteers, some will take on new riverfly sites, whilst others take over existing sites.
Training was part of our P4N project.

Yesterday we ran an all day #RiverSchool for 90 children from Chilton Foliat Primary on and the Kennet at the beautiful Chilton Estate. The ARK team ran 3 different activities to assist students with hands on, outdoor chalk stream fun & memorable learning.
#chalkstream ##learningoutdoors

One lucky group at River School today found an elver in their tray!
This 1 will have been 1 of the eels released on the Og earlier this year by the EA as part of a long term eel reintroduction project on the Kennet. A special moment for these children let their eel go.
#makingmemories

Water vole surveying today at Stonebridge Wild River Reserve, Marlborough and reassuring to map lots of field signs
Water vole top 3 plants for eating were found to be:
1st water mint
2nd stream water-crowfoot
3rd sedge
Also lots of otter spraint & 3 species of fish #citizenscience #watervole

The swan family on the Kennet, Eddington. Mute swans are primarily herbivores and have plenty of aquatic plants to sustain them here. #swans #chalkstream

A wonderful morning River School on the Kennet at Axford for St Michael's Aldbourne.
This session was in partnership with our friends Ramsbury Farming & Countryside Education who were in parallel running land based outdoor farming and countryside activities for the school students.
#riverschool

Englefield Estate Schools Days!
Our Senior Project Officer Anna & volunteer Glyn have worked with 400+ children over 2 days delivering mini River School sessions.
The children saw up close lots of river life & learnt how humans impact our chalk streams, with a focus on drought. #chalkstream

😍A lapwing chick at the new Sulham Wetland, we created last year. As it matures it will attract more and more species. The wetland construction fits into a larger inspirational wildlife project across the estate led by BioCap, to read more:
www.biocap.org.uk/post/sulham-...
Credit Dave Valler

The Water Restoration Fund - 5 June, 2025

Our Director Charlotte Hitchmough recently met up with Danny Kruger MP, just after the Thames Water fines. Watch this short video where she highlights the missed opportunity by our current government not going ahead with the Water Restoration Fund.
www.dannykruger.org.uk/news/water-r...
#chalkstream

Volunteer water vole survey training day on the Kennet at Minal today. The day was to primarily increase our water vole surveying capacity on the Pang and add to our trained volunteers in the Kennet catchment too.
Thank you to all of today's volunteers #citizenscience

Spotted and filmed on the Kennet this week by River Keeper Jimmy at The Wilderness, Kintbury. Thank you for sharing.
Overhanging branches are what kingfisher require for resting and for perching to observe and then dive for fish. #kingfisher #riverkennet

A secondary school tailored River School day on the Dun in Hungerford for 45 Yr 8 students from John O'Gaunt School.

Fantastic to get these local students out in their local river for their Geography work.
#learningoutdoors #chalkstream

It is great to see our local MPs standing up for chalk streams in Parliament today.

The petition for the Chalk Stream recovery pack has over 11,000 signatures - a clear sign that people care about these precious rivers. Please add your voice: petition.parliament.uk/petitions/71...
#chalkstream

#RiverSchool at Stonebridge Wild River Reserve, Marlborough today for Yr3 from Baydon St Nicholas.
Exploring the water meadow, sketching healthy river habitats, paddling, finding fresh otter spraint, identifying stickleback, bullhead, brook lamprey & caddis, mayfly & shrimp
#learningoutdoors

From today the sale & supply single use vapes is illegal
We've seen first hand this new pollution source appear on the riverbeds of our chalk streams, our volunteers have removed countless vapes over the last few years whilst carrying out our conservation works and litter picks.
#chalkstream

Today water vole surveying Kennet feeder streams in Ramsbury.
All field sign were mapped & logged, sedge & water mint were the favoured food.
Our trained volunteers will be surveying a number of sites in the Kennet & Pang catchments over the coming months #citizenscience

Our intrepid volunteers were on the Og carrying out balsam bashing.
Got this plant in your garden? Please consider pulling it up, breaking it up and leaving it away from the river to rot down.
If you would like advice or have spotted balsam in the Kennet or Pang catchment do get in touch. #INNS

😫 Our website and emails are down. So if you've emailed us this week we won't have received these .
Here's our temporary email 👇 riverkennet@gmail.com

You can also reach us by:
Messaging us via our Facebook page
Calling our office 01672 512700

Thames Water fined £122.7 million
Our Director Charlotte Hitchmough tonight on BBC Points West talks about the horrendous untreated sewage spills we've witnessed and describes the failing debt ridden water company's behaviour as 'Desperate firefighting, not the behaviour of a well run company.'