In a visit organised by the Warwickshire Wildlife Trust (WkWT), Warwickshire’s High Sheriff, Susan Rasmussen, visited Preston on Stour to hear more about the Preston on Stour Environmental Group (PEG) and Wild about Clifford (WAC). The event was held on Tuesday, the 22nd of September, in Lower Cottage Garden, hosted by Ron Hoe. The group included Susan Rasmussen, Amanda Evans and Grace Clarkson from WkWT, Nathan Johnstone from WAC and Margaret Brocklehurst and Ron Hoe from PEG. They sat and enjoyed tea and biscuits in the sunshine, chatting about the kinds of things our groups do. Susan was very interested in our activities, and she enjoyed the tour of Ron’s garden before she left.
kick-sampling in the shallow water by the bridge, to identify the wildlife present, and find out why they are so important for understanding the general health of the river: with Alex Jones of the Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI) — The Riverfly Partnership
Music was provided by ‘Misspent Ukes’, the local U3A ukulele band.
The event was blessed with sunshine and was well-attended. The ‘find’ of the day was a Brook Lamprey, a primitive fish which is quite scarce in rivers these days and is a protected species.
This was one of a series of events that were part of the River Hope ‘Gathering’ The Gathering – River Hope.
Together, they will start work on the ground across the 3,000-hectare project area.
The wider catchment includes some of county’s finest landscapes. It spans parts of the Cotswolds National Landscape, the remnants of the ancient Royal Hunting Forest of Wychwood, and the Blenheim Palace World Heritage Site. It includes 16 river water bodies, including the River Evenlode and its major tributaries, the Glyme and the Dorn.
Like so many parts of the country, the landscape is under increasing pressure from flooding, water quality decline, biodiversity loss and the challenge of sustaining long-term, productive food systems.
For example, around 19% of the area lies within a flood zone and floods frequently during heavy rainfall due to the catchment’s rapid (“flashy”) response. This puts multiple communities, farmland, rail and local roads at risk.
One of the farmers taking part in the project reported one field flooding nine times in the winter of 2023–24.
The catchment supports a mosaic of habitats, including oak and ash woodland, limestone grasslands, lowland meadows and fen, creating conditions for a wide range of wildlife.
The priority species identified for targeted conservation action because they are rare, declining or threatened, include remnant populations of the endangered native crayfish and water voles, alongside rare plants such as fen violet and downy woundwort.
Credit: North East Cotswold Farmer ClusterAllowing the river to reconnect with its floodplain works with natural processes to reduce flooding and improve habitats for wildlife. Credit: Dave Gasca.Water Vole. Credit: Peter Trimming
Once common along rivers and streams, water voles have declined sharply in recent decades due to habitat loss and the predatory American Mink.They are found along rivers, streams and ditches and can be mistaken for brown rats. Water voles are legally protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, are a Priority Species under the UK Post-2010 Biodiversity Framework and are listed as endangered on both the Great Britain and England Red Lists for mammals.
