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In April, Mersey Rivers Trust hosted two Free Pie & Pint farm engagement events. These events were hosted by Mersey Rivers Farm Advisors with funding received from both the Better Rivers Better North West Fund and the Upper Weaver Water-Friendly Farming project funded by DEFRA and United Utilities. These two events were aimed at farmers in both the River Duckow, Darley, and Ash Brook Catchments to inform on water-friendly farming practices and other management practices and schemes which are beneficial to both business and the environment.

In addition to the delightful pies and pints which were enjoyed by all those who attended. Mersey Rivers Trust Farm Advisors spoke on water-friendly farming. This talk included ways in which farmers could get involved via free water management plans and the possibility of small amounts of funding to carry out water-friendly farming interventions. The importance of invasive non-native species control and methods to do so were highlighted to farmers in the Darley and Ash Brook catchments. Also, during the Duckow catchment event the upcoming work to remove a disused gas house weir and the potential effects of the removal was discussed.

During these events guest speakers from Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC) and Soil Sense shared insights into other farming subjects. CWAC discussed Biodiversity Net Gain and local nature recovery strategy plans for the area that are currently out for consultation, emphasizing how aligning with agri-environment schemes can benefit farmers. Soil Sense discussed how to manage nutrients in soil so as to optimise land use, benefitting crop yields and livestock. How soil testing is vitally important and the part different methods of soil aeration, shattering and sward lifting have to play in land management regimes.              

The evening was a great success and across both events just over 35 farmers attended. Feedback was positive with all farmers saying they would recommend this type of event to others.

Mersey Rivers Trust will continue to host these types of events throughout this year and next year, and if you would like to know more about what we do, and what grants and workshops are available to farmers please email us here to be added on to the Farm Newsletter mailing list.  You can read the latest newsletter here.

You can access the presentations from Mersey Rivers Trust, Darley and Ashbrook Presentation and River Duckow Presentation and there is more information available on Mersey Rivers Water Friendly Farming Hub here.

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On April 24th, to celebrate the 1st birthday of the Bentley Environmental Foundation, volunteers from Bentley and members of Mersey Rivers Trust and The Rivers Trust, united to conduct a litter pick along Valley Brook, a river in Crewe, Cheshire.

Over a mere 0.5-mile stretch, the team collected 25 bags of rubbish, including a discarded trolley retrieved from the river.

This litter pick represents just one of many events facilitated by the Bentley Environmental Foundation project in collaboration with Mersey Rivers Trust and the Rivers Trust.

Justine Lord, Project Manager from Mersey Rivers Trust, said,” The litter pick with Bentley was a great success. We had 12 members of staff come down to the litter pick. Everyone was getting stuck in, it was lovely to see the team working together to help clean up our rivers! Keep your eyes peeled for information on future events in Crewe with Mersey Rivers Trust and Bentley.”

On your marks... Less than 48 hours until the return of the national #BigRiverWatch!

Help your local river by heading outside to gather data this Bank Holiday weekend...

Download the free survey app

From Friday, take a stroll along your nearby river

Fill out the quick survey, tell us what you see

The Big River Watch | The Rivers Trust

Come along to our local #BigRiverWatch events:

Sat 4 May Reddish Vale, River Tame 10am-2pm

Sun 5 May Macon Meadows, Valley Brook, Crewe 10am-1pm

https://e-big-river-watch

Young Blue Influencers Leading Environmental Change Across Greater Manchester:

Mersey Rivers Trust supporting a new initiative for young people funded by the Ernest Cook Trust and #iwill Fund

An ambitious initiative to improve the local river (“blue”) environment will be propelled by young people in Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The “Blue Influencers Scheme” will provide mentoring and funding for locals, aged 10 to 14, to become “Blue Influencers”.

The Mersey Rivers Trust is celebrating its selection as one of 22 charities to receive significant funding through this initiative, which aims to ignite a wave of youth-led environmental projects across the region. This includes the appointment of a Blue Mentor tasked with recruiting and supporting passionate young people to drive change in their community and local environment.

Ed Ikin, Chief Executive of The Ernest Cook Trust, said:

“Young people are often the most passionate about the environment and are very aware of the issues we face with climate change. The Blue Influencers Scheme will give them the funding, platform and tools they need to make positive changes to benefit their entire community.

“We were pleased to select the Mersey Rivers Trust to join the Blue Influencers Scheme and are excited to see just what the young people come up with.”

The national £2.25 million, three-year Blue Influencers Scheme, launched and match-funded by The Ernest Cook Trust in partnership with the #iwill Fund, focuses on empowering young people in coastal, estuary, and riverside areas to address environmental and climate challenges. Its ambition is to engage more than 4,000 young people as Blue Influencers, as well as over 15,000 community members across England.

The initiative builds on the success of the Green Influencers Scheme, shifting its focus to water-based environments while also aiming to enhance young people's personal, social and employability skills.

Luke Swann from the Mersey Rivers Trust spoke of the scheme's importance:

"Allowing young people to protect the environment on their own terms is essential. Being less conditioned by our unsustainable past and benefitting more from a sustainable future, they are best suited to drive change today. I can't wait to see the impact they will have once their environmental ideas and ambitions come into fruition."

If you work with young people aged 10 – 14 in Greater Manchester and would be interested in getting involved in this project, please get in touch with Luke Swann, Blue Mentor and Project Manager at Mersey Rivers Trust:

Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.    Phone: 07923 359 566