Rivers

Habitats

Rivers

Watercourses are vital wildlife corridors, supporting biodiversity across both rural and urban landscapes. In Warwickshire, the Avon Catchment drains water from the south and east of the county into the River Severn and onward to the Bristol Channel via the River Avon and its tributaries, including the Sowe, Leam, Dene, Stour, Alne and Arrow. A small area at the southern tip of Warwickshire also lies within the Thames Catchment.

Most rivers and streams have been significantly altered to support land drainage, water abstraction, flood management and navigation. These changes have included straightening, deepening and re-sectioning of channels. In addition to physical modification, rivers are heavily affected by both diffuse and point-source pollution, with diffuse pollution arising from a wide range of sources across agricultural and urban environments.

Projects

Monitoring water quality – citizen science project

A number of communities are concerned about water pollution in local streams and rivers and citizen scientists are monitoring local rivers for chemical and bacterial nutrient pollution. Since July 2023, under a Safe Avon partnership with Stratford Climate Action, around 40 citizen scientists have been taking water samples regularly from 25 locations along the upper River Avon and River Stour, as well as their tributaries, brooks and canals.  The findings are summarised here https://www.riverhope.org.uk/blog/river-stewardship-using-citizen-science/.

Other local citizen science groups are also monitoring freshwater ecological status relating to bacterial contamination and freshwater invertebrates, which can be indicators of water quality.

River Arrow & Alne Revival (RAAR)

River Arrow & Alne Revival (RAAR) is a community-led group based in Alcester, working to care for the River Arrow, the River Alne and the wider catchment they flow through.

Formed in 2025, RAAR grew out of local interest in protecting and restoring the health of our rivers, while helping people reconnect with them as living, shared spaces. The group brings together residents, volunteers, local organisations and river specialists to support nature recovery through practical action, learning and collaboration.

RAAR works closely with local partners and is in active conversation with organisations including the Wild Trout Trust, Safe Avon, River Hope, Alcester Town Council, the Court Leet, and local angling and community groups. This collaborative approach helps ensure that local action aligns with wider catchment-scale work and long-term river recovery.

Dene River Watch – Wellesbourne and Walton

The River Dene provides a valuable habitat for a wide range of wildlife and is an important part of the natural environment enjoyed by the communities of Wellesbourne and Walton. To help protect this resource, the Dene River Watch – Wellesbourne and Walton project was established in 2025 to monitor water quality in the river.

Volunteers regularly measure concentrations of key nutrients which, at elevated levels, can degrade river habitats and harm wildlife. By collecting data year-round from multiple locations over a three-year period, the project will significantly improve understanding of nutrient pressures affecting the river.

Working in partnership with the Environment Agency, local authorities, and other stakeholders, the project aims to support action to conserve and enhance the river’s natural environment.

The project receives financial support from Wellesbourne and Walton Parish Council.

River Hope

River Hope is a grassroots movement based in the Stratford-on-Avon District of South Warwickshire. It brings together individuals, community groups and local organisations to reflect on their relationships with water in all its states and the whole web of life that depends on it, both human and more-than-human.

Guided by values of gratitude and a positive narrative of love and care, the movement seeks to catalyse an ethos of being good ancestors for water and Nature into the future. Through creativity – such as art, photography and storytelling – we inspire people to engage in the restoration and protection of Nature in the local river catchment. Through practical actions such as citizen science, rubbish removal and ecological mapping, we send ripples of stewardship through our communities. In the ways of ancient people everywhere, we hold ceremonies at local water places to pay attention to, and celebrate, what water and Nature bring to our human lives and to all of Nature.

Upcoming events can be found here: https://www.riverhope.org.uk/events/. The website also periodically publishes a Blog and provides links to other national and global organisations, initiatives and stories.

Shipston Area Flood Action Group

The Shipston Area Flood Action Group (SAFAG) is a community-led Flood Action Group established in 2014 by residents of Shipston-on-Stour and nearby communities affected by flooding. In recent years, SAFAG has become part of the Shipston Town Council Environment & Flood Action Working Group, while continuing to operate independently and reporting regularly to the group.

With the support of over 60 landowners and farmers, SAFAG delivered more than 860 Natural Flood Management interventions across the 180 km² Stour Catchment between 2017 and 2022. These measures now play a vital role in reducing local flood risk. The project demonstrates the effectiveness of a collaborative, landscape-scale approach involving a wide range of stakeholders.

Wellesbourne & Walton Flood Action Group (WWFAG)

Wellesbourne & Walton Flood Action Group was formed in 2018 under the auspices of the National Flood Forum. We are a small group of local volunteers with the aim of reducing the risk of flooding to properties in Wellesbourne and Walton by planning and implementing measures which will “Slow the Flow” of both the Newbold Brook and the River Dene.

Both brook and river have caused major flooding as far back as 1968, 1998 and 2007, along with a series of “near misses” over the last 6 years.

WWFAG works in colllaboration with a number of Agency-partners: Wellesbourne & Walton PC, WCC Flood Risk Management team, Environment Agency, Severn Rivers Trust, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, Severn Trent Water and Orbit Housing. Our projects are based on the use of Natural Flood Management techniques to “Slow the Flow”, such as Holding Ponds, Leaky Barriers and Tree and Hedge planting. No work can begin without the Legal Consent of the landowner and the WCC FRM Team, and wherever possible, the work will also provide environmental and ecological benefits.