Get Involved

Community engagement and involvement in river restoration is key to the success of a river restoration projects and catchment management.  This page details the many ways you can get involved and on how to report an issue with your local waterway.

There are plenty of opportunities to get involved in practical restoration works across the UK. It's great exercise, fun and an excellent way to meet new people with shared interests in the community. Previous RRC staff member Will wrote a blog on a day of practical works he attended which you can view here.

Be sure to check that the group/groups you work with follow health and safety guidance.

Monitoring River Health

Monitoring rivers is crucial for understanding their health. It can help identify problems, provide evidence to justify why restoration should take place, and demonstrate the effectiveness of completed works. Many partnerships and local trusts have monitoring programmes, which involve volunteers and community groups in collecting, reporting and analysing monitoring data. Data can even be collected or recorded through mobile apps, whilst some schemes require regular photos to be taken to record visual changes.

Start Planning!

No river restoration groups in your local area? Many experienced charities, including well established Rivers Trusts, began as a few community members interested in improving the health of their local rivers. You may already be part of a community group or angling club who may be interested in organising some river restoration projects. If so, have a look through the begin to restore resources, and contact RRC if you require further information or project support.

 The Wandle Trust started with just a few people interested in improving the health of their local river.