Introducing Digby

There has been a recent addition to our team at the RRC as Digby Taylor has joined us on an undergraduate placement. To introduce you to Digby, we asked him a few questions on your behalf.

Where are you from?

I live and have grown up in London, but I’ve recently been in Bristol where I’ve just finished my second year of an undergraduate degree studying Geography.

Why are you interested in River Restoration? 

The second year course of my degree included a module on Flood Risk and Hillslopes. This introduced me to the ideal of river restoration, and has made me more aware of the issues surrounding the control of river courses particularly in an urban setting. I am also passionate about salmon and sea-trout fishing and am beginning my dissertation on a related topic. The recent decline in salmon catches from the heights of the mid-20^th century statistics has made me interested in what has caused this and what can be done to restore rivers. Researching the Wye and Usk foundation for my dissertation is what lead me to the RRC, and I’m looking forward to being on the ‘inside’ of river restoration.

What is your role at the RRC?

Primarily I’m working to support Josh in managing the National River Restoration Inventory (NRRI) but I’m also involved in updating the website, and social media organisation.

What are your interests outside of River Restoration?

My family farm in Cornwall, so I love spending time on the farm. Out of that came my cider making business St. Veep Cider which I run whilst at Uni, selling to pubs in Bristol. And as I mentioned before, I love fishing, and almost always have a fly rod in the boot of my car in case I find an opportunity to use it.