Monty Rivers Project

Monty Rivers Project Final evaluation report - reconnecting people with their rivers to improve the physical, mental and social health of the community by improving the health of the river environment. Monty Rivers Project was a Severn Rivers Trust programme funded by the Big Lottery People and Places scheme from 2013 to 2016. www.severnriverstrust.com

Acknowledgments Severn Rivers Trust would like to thank the Big Lottery for making the project possible, our project partners listed in the appendices, Arts Council for Wales, Keep Wales Tidy, Natural Resources Wales and Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council for match funding elements of the project and most of all, our volunteers, schools, members of the community and landowners. Report prepared by Lisa Barlow Project Officer Severn Rivers Trust Unit 5 Hope House Farm Barns Martley Worcester WR6 6QF 01886888394 www.severnriverstrust.com www.facebook.com/severnrivers.trust www.twitter.com/severnrivers Cover photograph thanks to Michael Smith

Contents Introduction 1.1 Big Lottery People and Places programme introduction 1.2 Overview of the Monty Rivers Project 1.3 Background to the Severn Rivers Trust 1.4 Background to the Monty Rivers Project 2. Aims and intended outcomes 3. Methods 3.1 Supporting existing and setting up local river community groups 3.2 Recruiting volunteers to remove invasive non-native plants and litter 3.3 Facilitating community events to engage people with their rivers 3.4 Providing training in river conservation 3.5 Attending local shows and giving talks to promote river conservation 3.6 A programme of river studies days with local schools, scouts and guides 3.7 Hosting a river Festival in 2015 and 2016 4. Project management and leadership 5. Key outcomes 5.1 Supporting existing and setting up local river community groups Case study 1: River Vyrnwy Community Group Himalayan Balsam sheep grazing project, Meifod. Case study 2: Afon Einion Preservation Society Case study 3: Tir Coed 5.2 Recruiting volunteers to remove invasive non-native plants and litter Case study 4: Cain Valley River Group Japanese Knotweed control Case study 5: Cub scouts at Llanfair Caereinion litter picking on the Afon Banwy 5.3 Facilitating community events to engage people with their rivers Case study 6: World Fish Migration Day 100 cub scouts making fish flags Case study 7: Meifod River Day 2015 Case study 8 - tree planting on the river Cain to improve natural flood management Case study 9: volunteers winter gathering 5.4 Providing training in river conservation Case study 10: soft revetment training with the Wild Trout Trust Case Study 11: Riverfly Monitoring Initiative Volunteers flag up pollution on the River Severn Case study 12: Jeffery Olstead invasive species control on the Afon Tanat 5.5 Attending local shows and giving talks to promote river conservation Case study 13 National Eisteddfod Case study 14 Llanfyllin show Case study 16: Water friendly farm model building with scouts and guides Case study 17: Trout in the classroom Case study 18: Mayfly in the classroom Case study 17: Trout in the classroom Case study 18: Mayfly in the classroom 5.7 Hosting a river festival in 2015 and 2016 Case study 19 Leaping Lights Salmon Festival 6. Monitoring and evaluation 7. Project finance 8. Conclusions and recommendations

1. Introduction 1.1 Big Lottery People and Places programme introduction The 17.8 million Big Lottery People and Places programme funds capital and revenue projects that encourage co-ordinated community action in Wales. Grants are awarded from 5,001 to 1,000,000 to projects with the following outcomes: Revitalised communities Improved community relations Enhanced local environments, community services and buildings 1.2 Overview of the Monty Rivers Project Severn Rivers Trust was awarded 247,113 under the Big Lottery People and Places grant to work in the Welsh Severn Uplands, the former county of Montgomeryshire between October 2013 and September 2016. The Monty Rivers Project reflects the current state of UK river environments and the disconnection between people and their local rivers. It was developed to re-connect people with their rivers to improve the physical, mental and social health of the community by improving the health of the river environment. 1.3 Background to the Severn Rivers Trust Severn Rivers Trust is an independent environmental charity established to secure the preservation, protection, development and improvement of the rivers, streams, watercourses and water bodies in the Severn catchment, and to advance the education of the public in the management of water and the wider environment. The Severn Rivers Trust gained charity status in 2011 and began to work with landowners and interested stakeholders across the river catchment, carrying out practical habitat and fish passage improvements. 1.4 Background to the Monty Rivers Project The rivers of the Welsh Severn Uplands require attention in both urban and rural areas due to (Water Framework Directive) water quality failures. Each river is given an ecological status under WFD based on its wildlife, chemistry, water flow, sediments and habitat quality; all of which everybody has an opportunity to impact on, both positively and negatively. Projects in other areas have proven communities can work effectively together to reduce flooding, improve water quality, improve wildlife and ultimately improve their own local environment. The benefits of a healthy river environment are for everyone from increased land value, reduced flooding, increased amenity value, and improved tourism, reduction in fines to landowners and a greater sense of pride in the local environment. Invasive non-native plant species (e.g. Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed) are a serious threat to river corridors due to competition with native plants and increased bank erosion, leading to decreased biodiversity. Both litter and invasive non-native plant species had dramatically increased across the Severn Uplands in recent years.

Many people are disconnected from their local environment, in particular their rivers. Very few people take a walk along their nearby rivers, especially in rural locations due to lack of clearly marked routes and information. People are unaware of water quality issues as an unhealthy river and a healthy river look very similar to the untrained eye. Evidence Severn Uplands Invasive Strategy Project, SRT 2012 Water Framework Directive Invasive Non-Native Species Framework Strategy, 2008 Wales Biodiversity Partnership non-native species working group

1. Aims and intended outcomes The Monty Rivers Project aimed to re-connect people with their rivers to improve the physical, mental and social health of the community by improving the health of the river environment. To achieve this we worked with communities to improve their river and set up their own social community groups. This method is important to give ownership to each community as this will increase the desire to become involved and increase the sustainability of each group. This method allowed the three outcomes stated to reconnect people with their rivers. 1. Increased social, health and well-being to all residents in isolated rural valley communities in Montgomeryshire through a common influence - their river. 2. Improving the condition of each river valley by removing litter, invasive nonnative species etc. and teaching local people new skills such as Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (an indicator of water quality) training. 3. Improve people s understanding of the importance, beauty and requirement of their river through community days and social events, leading to decreased littering and increased community involvement. The project also helped to educate all members of the community about the importance and beauty of their rivers. This will produce an on-going legacy that will enable the Severn Rivers Trust and the community to continue to protect these important rivers. These objectives and their outcomes were measured, monitored and evaluated using a number of tools by Severn Rivers Trust. These are seen in the Key Findings section of this report.

4. Methods 4.1 Supporting existing and setting up local river community groups 4.2 Recruiting volunteers to remove invasive non-native plants and litter 4.3 Facilitating community events to engage people with their rivers 4.4 Providing training in river conservation 4.5 Attending local shows and giving talks to promote river conservation 4.6 A programme of river studies days with local schools, scouts and guides 4.7 Hosting a river Festival in 2015 and 2016 3.1 Supporting existing and setting up local river community groups At the beginning of the Monty Rivers Project, there were three local community river groups in the Welsh Severn Uplands (Cain Valley River Group, Tanat Valley River Group and River Severn (Newtown) Custodians). These groups were supported by the Severn Rivers Trust and the Environment Agency (which became Natural Resources Wales during the project). Each group worked enthusiastically on their specific stretch of river, undertaking surveys, litter picks and invasive non-native species removal. Severn Rivers Trust values this sustainable, community led and landscape scale approach so sought to deliver a project to extend this important work in the former county of Montgomeryshire. The Monty Rivers Project target was to have a total of ten community river groups up and running by the end of the project. In supporting groups of local volunteers, we are able to build on local contacts between volunteers and landowners and the importance of ownership, or a local site to motivate people to take action. We are able to make our work sustainable after the life of the project by training and supporting group leaders and members and setting up regular meetings of local people. Local action groups have different interests based on their individual river sites, for example the River Severn Custodians in Newtown undertake footpath improvement, invasive Giant Hogweed removal, scientific surveys and talks to groups including the Women s Institute (WI) and the University of the 3 rd Age (U3A); and the Afon Einion Preservation Society near Llanfair Caereinion focus on native White Clawed Crayfish surveys, cattle access reduction and river fly data collection. The support we give to community groups includes organising an initial meeting to bring people together and subsequent first committee meeting, assistance with writing a group constitution where necessary, helping to assign roles (Chair, Treasurer, Secretary), setting up a group email, applying for the first year of group insurance, advising on how to set up a group bank account, training volunteers on invasive species identification, training on risk assessment writing and health and safety, advising and supplying personal protective equipment, writing and sharing minutes for initial meetings, setting up group contact lists, training on habitat management including erosion control (river revetment) and tree planting, providing snacks and drinks for initial events, producing initial promotional materials such as event posters and a group leaflet, facilitating joint events between the group and

their local school e.g. Meifod river group logo competition and Meifod Coracle Day. The amount of support a group needs depends on the number of members and is gradually reduced over time following the first year of the group. Our project officers aim to support rather than lead groups of volunteers, so that leaders within a group are encouraged and the group starts out as a sustainable organisation which will in time not rely on a project leader who will need to seek funding. Will facilitate local action, so that people work on a local level with their own local farmers and schools. Our work with landowners is win-win for nature and the farm business, for example reduced erosion or reduced run-off of farm nutrients. 3.2 Recruiting volunteers to remove invasive non-native plants and litter A coordinated approach is needed to reduce the impact of invasive non-native plants on the river Severn. This is to reduce the reseeding of plants from upstream. Giant Hogweed can be removed by hand cutting, although it is dangerous and protective equipment must be used. Japanese Knotweed can only be removed by chemical treatment and care must be taken not to spread the plant by cutting. Himalayan Balsam can be removed by hand pulling, grazing, strimming or chemical treatment. For all of these invasive species, volunteers need to be trained first in their identification and the impacts they have on the river and then in their control. Equipment is needed and support to complete the necessary permission paperwork with Natural Resources Wales for chemical treatment within 5m of a watercourse. PA1 and PA6 chemical spraying qualifications must be gained before using glyphosate to spray plants. The Monty Rivers Project Officer will recruit volunteers, train them, supply protective equipment and tools needed and ensure that the volunteers are able to carry on work after the life of the project. The success of this work will be measured in the number of kilometres of invasive species removed and the number of kilometres of river bank cleared of litter. 3.3 Facilitating community events to engage people with their rivers A variety of community events were planned to bring local residents closer to their river. These give local people an opportunity to engage with their local river in a positive way and learn informally about the river and what they can do to conserve it. These events will also increase health and social interaction in a fun and informal way whilst providing a common interest. These events include guided walks, river bug hunts, coracle trips, craft workshops, tree planting days, Himalayan Balsam clearance, bat walks along the river and many more. Success of events will be measured by the number of people in attendance and our feedback form (appendices).

In order to attract visitors to these events, Severn Rivers Trust joins forces with existing busy events e.g. Cylch Meithrin Family Fun Day to ensure that not only people already engaged with conservation events would attend. We made sure events were at a variety of times of day and locations to include people with different schedules. We included events in evenings, weekends, at events where families would already be and in a variety of locations to limit the need for travel and include both rural and urban communities. We visited a variety of age groups with events designed to suit their interests. For example, a guided river walk with river life identification with the Womens Institute and an art installation building of a river of lights with young photography students at Llanfyllin. To engage people who may lack confidence to attend a new event, we worked in partnership with the Powys Young Carers and Tir Coed. Young people were then able to attend along with a project leader they already have a good relationship with. Word of mouth is very important as an effective way of engaging with local people. The project recruited local volunteers to spread the word about events and feedback to the project officer which events are most popular locally. The existing Severn Rivers Trust website was updated during the project as place to direct project volunteers to and host information about project events in Welsh and English. This was felt to be a more sustainable approach than setting up a Monty Rivers Project website which would need to be updated and maintained after the life of the project. Facebook and Twitter pages were designed in a similar way, all under Severn Rivers Trust. Where possible in partnership partners bring in their contacts, attendees, introduce them to Severn Rives Trust. 3.4 Providing training in river conservation Training is needed to empower volunteers to take action and to ensure that the work undertaken by groups of volunteers has a positive impact on the river environment. Severn Rivers Trust s director Tony Bostock is an accredited trainer for the national Riverfly Monitoring Initiative (RMI), a scheme originally set up to train anglers to identify river fly larvae which are indicators of water quality. The RMI teaches a standard sampling methodology and identification of a small number of river fly larvae (e.g. Mayfly larvae) to volunteers who then spend around an hour each month sampling the same stretch of river they visit regularly. Data collected from volunteers goes into a national database, where a trigger level is set for each river. If there is a sudden change in the expected numbers of river flies on a river, the alarm is raised with Natural Resources Wales who will take action to find the source of pollution. We set a target of training 30 Riverfly Monitoring Initiative volunteers by the end of the project. Other formal training course needs were identified throughout the project and match funding was applied for. For example PA1 and PA6 chemical application qualifications needed for removing invasive species. We applied to small local grants

e.g. Powys Environmental Partnership, Keep Wales Tidy, Environment Wales. We also advised volunteers on the best courses and training needs where they were able to pay for their own course or fund through e.g. an angling club. Informal training was given by the project officer on river revetment (in partnership with the Wild Trout Trust to begin with and subsequently by the project officer alone), on tree selection, planting and maintenance, invasive species identification and control and river invertebrate identification. The effectiveness of training was accessed throughout the numbers of people signing up to become riverfly monitors and sending in data following the training course, refresher courses to check knowledge and informally at meetings and events. 3.5 Attendance at local community shows There are a number of country shows in the Montgomeryshire area which are well attended by local people. The Monty Rivers Project officer attended 5 local community shows each year with a display of river fly larvae and information about river habitat management. We discussed the importance of clean rivers and how people can help to protect and improve them. This will be measured by the number of people communicated with at each event. We also set up the Emriver river model to show landowners the effects of tree management and flood defences on river systems. Where possible, we attended shows in partnership with the Woodland Trust who were then able to give advice on farm woodland creation and supply trees to farmers. Bilingual project banners were made a Monty Rivers Project banner, a volunteer with us banner and a Severn Rivers Trust banner. These were taken to local shows and events. 3.6 A programme of river studies days with local schools, scouts and guides Monty Rivers Project was delivered in partnership with RSPB Cymru at Lake Vyrnwy, where dedicated field teachers have extensive experience of field teaching projects, farming in mid Wales and teaching in the Welsh language. RSPB field teachers led on the in-school education work whilst the project officer delivered addition schools visits on specific subjects such as Salmon migration, coracle history and led on the trout in the classroom project. The project officer also visited scouts and guides with a programme of activities including water friendly farm model building, river invertebrate identification, plant identification walks and map reading, river wildlife sessions, lantern building and river walks. A bilingual education pack, water friendly farming guide and water friendly farming fold out pictures for classroom use were produced in the first year of the project. We also printed bilingual copies of the Brown Trout book with beautiful illustrations of the

life cycle of the Brown Trout which were distributed to children involved in the education programme. A bilingual leaflet on the identification and control of invasive Himalayan Balsam was also produced. School visits were suitable for all key stages, but the project concentrated on working with primary schools. Each school visit consisted of a bilingual lesson on water friendly farming and river wildlife and a walk to a local river to identify river invertebrates and discuss river safety. The RSPB had a target of 20 school visits each year of the project. The success of the education programme with be measured by the number of schools visited, the numbers of educational events, the number of children involved and feedback from teachers and parents. 3.7 Hosting a river festival in 2015 and 2016 Severn Rivers Trust planned to hold a Water Harvest Festival in the public park in Newtown at the end of summer 2015 and again at the end of the project in September 2016. The event was intended as a beacon for the river Severn in Wales and a celebration for everyone involved in the project. The success of the festival will be measure by the numbers of people attending and feedback from those involved.

5. Project management and leadership During the course of the Monty Rivers Project, Severn Rivers Trust employed one full time project officer assigned full time to the project and supported the project with management from the Trusts deputy director and finance and admin support. RSPB Cyrmu were the lead partner on the education programme. The project was delivered in partnership with a number of organisations, listed in the appendices.

6. Key outcomes 5.1 Supporting existing and setting up local river community groups 10 sustainable community groups were supported over the project. Number Group name Location River 1 Cain Valley River Llanfyllin Cain Group 2 River Severn Newtown Severn Custodians 3 River Vyrnwy Meifod Vyrnwy Community Group 4 Afon Einion West of Llanfair Einion Preservation Society Caereinion 5 Upper Tanat Fishing Llangedwyn Tanat Club 6 Teme Valley Knighton Teme Environmental Group 7 Llanfair Caerienion Llanfair Caereinion Banwy River Group 8 Chirbury Fly Fishers Churchstoke and Camlad Chirbury 9 Welshpool River Welshpool Severn Group 10 Tir Coed Llanidloes Severn We measured the success of our community group work by the number of river groups in action at the end of each year of the programme. We also supported the groups to compete a quarterly return spreadsheet of activities undertaken. This included number of km of riverbank cleared of litter and invasive species, number of events, number of people communicated with, numbers of volunteers at each event and volunteer hours. Three community river groups were already in existence when the Monty Rivers Project was developed; River Severn Custodians, Cain Valley River Group and the Tanat River Group. The Tanat River Group folded before the project began, as members joined the Cain Valley River Group, while the other two original groups continued to be supported throughout the project. In areas where we found a similar interest group in operation, we felt that rather than set up a separate environmental river group it was better to join forces and add river habitat work to the work already done by the group so that members wouldn t need to attend more committee meetings to achieve the same outcome. For example, in Knighton the Teme Valley Environmental Group undertake regular work parties and now with support from Monty Rivers Project undertake riverfly monitoring and Himalayan Balsam clearance. We also supported Tir Coed, the Upper Tanat Fishing Club, the Afon Einion Preservation Society, Chirbury Anglers and Churchstoke Garden Club in this way.

We set up new groups in Meifod (River Vyrnwy Community Group), Llanfair Caereinion and Welshpool. We found this river group method to be a great way of supporting volunteers to take action locally. Volunteers in river groups also have local contacts with landowners and the wider population, so are able to help Severn Rivers Trust to distribute information widely. Having these groups set up in an area helps to ensure that work continues after the life of the project. Groups operate under their own group public liability insurance and undertake their own risk assessments before undertaking work. Advice is given on this from Severn Rivers Trust who helped with initial applications for insurance under the Keep Wales Tidy community group insurance scheme, which is free in the first year and 70 thereafter. Overall, the project has engaged a good range of age groups through a variety of methods. Facebook and Twitter, average age groups is 24-35, schools and young people engaged with schools work. 35-50 engaged as teachers and farmers. 50+ make up the majority of volunteers in community groups. Wider community engaged through appearance at 100+ local events and through regular local press releases and NFU newsletter and Severn Rivers Trust newsletter to angling community. The ethnic background, gender, ability and Welsh language are representative of the population. Sexual orientation, religion, and community background were not assessed for this project.

Case study 1: River Vyrnwy Community Group Himalayan Balsam sheep grazing project, Meifod. Members of the River Vyrnwy Community Group received training from the Severn Rivers Trust on the identification and removal of Himalayan Balsam. They organised volunteer work party events to clear the Balsam by hand on their river Vyrnwy and with support from SRT put up signs letting the community know about its control. Working with a local landowner, volunteers temporarily (electric) fenced sheep onto a stretch of river bank during the flowering season of the Himalayan Balsam. The sheep removed all of the Balsam at no cost. The project was written about in NFU Wales Newsletter, which has a readership of 27,000. The group are now working towards promoting this work across the river catchment. Photo thanks to Ingrid Maugham

Case study 2: Afon Einion Preservation Society The Afon Einion Preservation Society originally formed when a survey by the windfarm developers identified a population of the threated native White Clawed Crayfish on the Afon Einion. Group members have had training from Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust and Natural Resources Wales on identification of native White Clawed Crayfish and the invasive non-native American Signal Crayfish and were given survey equipment under the Monty Rivers Project (head torches and waders). They have been surveying the crayfish to monitor the native population so that the site can be protected. Group members have also undertaken Riverfly Monitoring Initiative training and have been collecting water quality data and have completed habitat works to reduce ground poaching by cattle. Photo: volunteers searching for native White Clawed Crayfish on the Afon Einion

Case study 3: Tir Coed Tir Coed is a charity and social enterprise that engages people with woodlands through volunteering, training and bespoke activities that develop skills and improve woodlands for the benefit of everyone. Tir Coed run sustainable woodland management courses from a woodland site near Llanidloes. Working in partnership with Tir Coed has enabled us to engage hard to reach groups including young people, long term unemployed, those with mental health or drug and alcohol issues in a supportive environment. By running the training in partnership, participants were able to attend with their Tir Coed project officer with whom they already have a good relationship. Feedback from one of the students to the Tir Coed project officer was that one of our river days was the best day out they had had in a long time. River days are planned to suit the participants, where we may have a later start, shorter day or more breaks depending on the needs of the volunteers. We are able to build confidence in a supporting environment. The Monty Rivers Project officer first introduced the Tir Coed students to river conservation at their woodland site, where they feel comfortable by taking river invertebrates to the site. Training was given on the importance of tree management within river catchments to natural flood alleviation, which fitted in with their woodland skills training course. Students dug soil pits and assessed soil compaction with water infiltration experiments. Following on from the work in the woods, we ran river revetment building training on the Afon Dulas near Llandiloes. Students helped to protect the river bank from erosion and cleared weeds from around the trees planted on the site the previous year. Since the training, one of the students Julie is planning to undertake a plant survey for the Dulas site. Photo thanks to Martin Cope, Tir Coed

5.2 Recruiting volunteers to remove invasive non-native plants and litter Most of our volunteers are recruited through the river groups so that their attendance can be sustainable. Where volunteers want to get involved individually, we offer training and recommend they visit the river bank in pairs and take responsibility for their own safety. Severn Rivers Trust delivered training for volunteers in how to identify invasive species and cleared a total of 41,500km of invasive species over the project. This figure is the total length of riverbank where clearance work has taken place, bearing in mind invasive species need repeated cutting, from the top of the river catchment until they are removed. Removal of Giant Hogweed with volunteers or staff is not permitted under Severn Rivers Trust insurance, due to the burns caused by touching it. Community groups are however able to clear it under their own insurance and we are able to employ contractors to chemically treat it under their own. The River Severn Custodians have been cutting down Giant Hogweed on the Mochdre Brook near Newtown for a few years under their own Keep Wales Tidy group insurance and have found that by repeated cutting, it can be combated in small areas. The extend of Giant Hogweed infestation across the river Severn catchment is so wide, that it requires a greater coordinated effort to remove it. Over the life of the project, we worked with a number of angling clubs who were keen to remove Giant Hogweed. We applied for various grants to employ contractors to chemically treat the plant, of which only one was successful. Tidy Towns awarded the Severn Rivers Trust 25,000 to treat Giant Hogweed in the top of the river catchment near Caersws. Having regular activities, local to the volunteer with a support network such as a community group leader has been important in recruiting volunteers.

Case study 4: Cain Valley River Group Japanese Knotweed control The Cain Valley River Group in Llanfyllin have received training in PA1 and PA6 pesticide application (knapsack spraying), which has enabled them to treat invasive Japanese Knotweed with chemicals. Chemical treatment is the only way to remove Japanese Knotweed, which would regrow from cut stems. Volunteers have been surveying the banks of the river Cain and have taken on a patch of Knotweed on an old waste dump. They have found that by treating the plant with chemicals at the end of the growing season, it can be controlled. Japanese Knotweed infestation along a stream

Case study 5: Cub scouts at Llanfair Caereinion litter picking on the Afon Banwy Cub scouts from the Llanfair Caereinion area took part in litter picking sessions on their local river. The litter picking day was made fun with bug hunting and a stone skimming contest. Members of the local community also helped with the litter picking.

5.3 Facilitating community events to engage people with their rivers The Monty Rivers Project officer ran a total of 286 events over the three years, engaging a total of 4,798 people in addition to the 1500 people who attended Leaping Lights Festival each year. Case study 6: World Fish Migration Day 100 cub scouts making fish flags Severn Rivers Trust took part in the international World Fish Migration Day in 2014 and 2016. In 2016, 100 cub scouts from the Montgomeryshire area made fish flags on the Llanfair Caereinion historic light railway trip from Llanfair Caereinon and walked with them through Welshpool to their camp celebrating 100 years of scouting in Montgomeryshire. The event was run in partnership with the Environment Agency who gave a talk about rivers and fish migration and Close Encounters with Nature who gave support to the SRT project officer in making a fish flag with each child. The event was featured in the international publicity for World Fish Migration Day. This event was a great example of how joining in an existing event e.g. cub camp with an activity can engage more people than a separate event.

Case study 7: Meifod River Day 2015 We were particularly successful in engaging communities with our events where we promoted them through word of mouth via a network of community groups. For example, the Meifod River Fun Day was very well attended and was promoted by River Vyrnwy Community Group members in the local primary school. The school also took part in a logo competition for the River Vyrnwy Community Group. Volunteers ran craft sessions, coracle trips, canoe trips, river bud dipping, fishing demonstrations and supplied tea and cake for the local community. Feedback from visitors was extremely positive, there was something for everyone and the group plan to make it an annual event. Coracle trips on the river Vyrnwy with volunteer Mark Howlett Meifod school River Vyrnwy Community Group logo competition winner and runners up with certificates and prizes given by Severn Rivers Trust

Case study 8 - Tree planting on the river Cain to improve natural flood management Young people from the Llanfyllin Young Carers, members of the Cain Valley River Group and members of the River Vyrnwy Community Group planted trees along the Cain to reduce sediment transfer into the river and help with natural flood management. The trees were donated through the Woodland Trust free trees for community groups scheme and organised by Severn Rivers Trust.

Case study 9: Volunteers winter gathering To thank our volunteers and group members each winter, we held a volunteer winter gathering in early January at the Royal Oak in Welshpool. The event included talks on river wildlife, a river quiz, poetry, river songs from the local singing group, drinks and a buffet. This event was well attended by around 60 volunteers each year.

5.4 Providing training in river conservation We provided training for the national accredited Riverfly Monitoring Initiative to a total of 90 volunteers. These volunteers then became riverfly monitors who dedicate around an hour each month to visiting the same stretch of river, collecting a sample of riverfly larvae (Mayfly, Stonefly, Caddiesfly etc.) and sending in their findings to Severn Rivers Trust. Riverflys give us a lot of information about the water quality as they are sensitive to their environment. The scheme allows an expected level for invertebrates to be logged for that river and a trigger level to be set where a change would be flagged up. If invertebrate levels drop below the trigger level, the volunteers are directly initiating an investigation and subsequent river clean up. The Severn Rivers Trust has the largest RMI scheme in the UK, which has so far flagged up four pollution incidents. We have also found that the scheme works for pollution prevention as potential polluters are dissuaded. We ran refresher courses for riverfly monitors as a classroom session, which was very well received and motivated the volunteers to keep going. We also offered informal individual refresher training to volunteers where they wanted a reminder on larvae identification. The Riverfly Monitoring Initiative scheme also became an important regular activity for the river custodian groups, where volunteers had a set role which they could do in their own time to keep group activities rolling over. We advertised the monitoring scheme on local radio, in the press, our website, through our network of contacts and on social media. The courses we all oversubscribed. Severn Rivers Trust volunteers have undertaken informal training in tree planting and selection, invasive non-native species identification and control, soft revetment (erosion control), habitat management, general plant and wildlife identification, risk assessment, health and safety, tools safety, group administration and publicity work. Other formal training needs were identified over the life of the project, and match funding applied for by the Monty Rivers Project Officer. We were awarded 600 from Environment Wales to train six volunteers in PA1 and PA6 pesticide application. We worked with Harper Adams University College who delivered this training at a discount for Severn Rivers Trust. We then supplied volunteer groups with the necessary equipment to spray invasive non-native species and gave informal training on how to apply for permission from Natural Resources Wales to spray within 5m of a watercourse.

Case study 10: Soft revetment training with the Wild Trout Trust In the first year of the project, we ran soft revetment training with our partners the Wild Trout Trust. Soft revetment is a means of attaching bundles of small branches to stakes in the river bank and wiring them down to prevent flood water washing them away. The revetment protects the river bank from exaggerated erosion, whilst taking the speed out of the water which can cause damage and flooding downstream. The revetment is also proven to increase river larvae life by 400% and creates an instant refuge habitat for small fish. In subsequent years of the project, Severn Rivers Trust staff ran the soft revetment training in house. Cain Valley River Group volunteers learning soft revetment with the Wild Trout Trust

Case Study 11: Riverfly Monitoring Initiative Volunteers flag up pollution on the River Severn Helen and Dave Read attended Riverfly Monitoring Initiative training in Llanfair Caereinion in 2015. They began monitoring their local river Severn at Shrewsbury and have since notice on two occasions changed to water quality, which has initiated an investigation. Helen and Dave now travel to their river site by boat Dave Read sampling riverflies for water quality on the river Severn

Case study 12: Jeffery Olstead invasive species control on the Afon Tanat Jeffrey Olstead is a member of the Upper Tanat Fishing Club, who voluntarily manage their fishing stretch of the river to remove invasive non-native species and improve the habitat for wildlife and fish. Under Monty Rivers Project, Jeffrey has undertaken training in PA1 and PA6 pesticide application, so that he can chemically treat Japanese Knotweed along the Afon Tanat. Jeffrey has also helped to run schools sessions, teaching children about fly fishing and has become a trustee of the Severn Rivers Trust. Jeffrey strimming invasive Himalayan Balsam on the river Tanat with equipment provided by the Monty Rivers Project

5.5 Attending local shows and giving talks to promote river conservation By attending existing shows, we are able to get a message out to large numbers of people, who may not attend an event organised by ourselves. We were happy to be able to speak to busy farmers, who were attending shows included the National Sheep Association Show. We attended six shows in years one and five in years two and three. Case study 13 National Eisteddfod We ran a joint stall at the National Eisteddfod in partnership with Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust, Aberystwyth University and RSPB Cymru. Our Emriver model display helped to explain to visitors to the science and technology department how rivers move within a landscape and how we can impact on them. We were interview by ITV Wales and ran river walks and river invertebrate sampling over the festival. The National Eisteddfod gave us an opportunity to community our environmental message entirely in the Welsh language, to a different audience. Families kick sampling for invertebrates at the National Eisteddfod The Emriver model

Case study 14 Llanfyllin show Llanfyllin show is a very well attended country show on the river Cain at Llanfyllin. We set up a joint stall each year with the Woodland Trust, Dolen Ffermio, Natural Resources Wales and the Cain Valley River Group. In 2015, we set up the Emriver model from a generator, which was a great way to engage with the farming community. With the Woodland Trust, we were able to advise on tree management on farms and sign up farmers to the free trees scheme which benefits the river environment.

5.6 A programme of river study days with local schools, scouts and guides Our partners at RSPB Cymru visited 59 schools to deliver river studies days. Each day took year five and six pupils on a trip to their local river to collect river invertebrates and learn about water quality. Classroom sessions in Welsh and English covered water friendly farming and river wildlife. A total number of 3000 pupils took part in the river study days. The Monty Rivers Project Officer also visited primary schools for special events in the run up to World Fish Migration Day and the Leaping Lights Festival and for the Trout in the Classroom, Mayfly in the Classroom and EmRiver model projects, visiting a further 30 schools. Students at Newtown College age 16-18 were engaged through a drama project, where they took responsibility for carrying one of the giant lanterns at the Leaping Lights festival in 2016. Llanfyllin High School art and photography students took part in a river of lights project funded by Arts Council for Wales where they helped to put together an art installation and photographed the finished work. Lanfyllin High School students took part in an Earth Day celebration with Severn Rivers Trust, Sector 39 and Close Encounters with Nature where they planted a biomass willow buffer across a field to help with natural flood management. Scouts and guides took part in a number of events including model water friendly farm building, riverfly sampling, plant identification walks, map reading and plant recording, lantern building, brown trout story book reading and craft project, litter picking and Himalayan Balsam removal.

Case study 15 World Fish Migration Day schools roadshow World Fish Migration Day is an international celebration of rivers which takes place every two years. Events are added to the WFMD website. Our World Fish Migration day schools roadshow ran in partnership with Close Encounters with Nature, Upper Tanat Fishing Club, RSPB Cymru and Natural Resources Wales. This engaged 2 schools and 75 children and included giant fly tying, fly fishing, river flow calculations, river bug sampling and water friendly farming. The children celebrated the journey the migrating salmon make up the river with giant fish flags. Celebrating with fish flags and floating oranges down the river to calculate flow

Case study 16: Water friendly farm model building with scouts and guides Scouts and guides across Montgomeryshire learned about water friendly farming by building model farms. Many of the children were from farming families and were able to pass our message on to their parents.

Case study 17: Trout in the classroom We ran a trout in the classroom project with two schools and the RSPB Lake Vyrnwy shop in January 2015. The locations in a rural area were remote, so tending to the tanks was time consuming and therefore limited to around two visits per week by the project officer. Tanks were set up with around 200 Brown Trout eggs (pressure treated so the adults would not breed in the river). The project officer set up the tanks and delivered training to teachers and our partners at RSPB on tank maintenance. Brown Trout have very exact requirements for their survival and whilst every effort was made by SRT staff and the teachers, in all three tanks the fish did not develop into adults. This was disappointing for the children, who had learned about Brown Trout life cycles and habitats and were looking forward to releasing the adults into the river. If we were to repeat this project, we would concentrate on one tank in a location near to the project officer, so that more regular support could be given. Trout in the classroom setup

Case study 18: Mayfly in the classroom We had more success with Mayfly in the classroom, where schools were given a tank of mayfly larvae, which developed into adults. The children were then able to visit a local river to release the adult mayflies. This project was designed by our partners the Wild Trout Trust, who have developed excellent resources online.

5.7 Hosting a river festival in 2015 and 2016 Case study 19 Leaping Lights Salmon Festival The Leaping Lights Salmon lantern festival was a great success. In both 2015 and 2016, around 1500 people from the Newtown area attended the event, 7.7% of the local population. Children from three schools in 2015 and five schools in 2016 took part in river study days, followed by intensive lantern building workshop where they made a salmon lantern in pairs or larger groups depending on the schools numbers. They were so proud of their lanterns, all of the lanterns were brought to a parade along the river Severn to the Town Park. In 2015, we worked with internationally renowned artists Wild Boar Press and PaBOOM, who created a spectacle animation of the migration of the Salmon on a gauze screen in the park. A river of lights was created in the park by marking out an area which was filled with tea lights in jam jars. When the children arrived, their lanterns were placed in the river. We also ran community workshops to create two large lanterns, a breeding pair of salmon. In 2016, the event was similar, but rather than the animation we had a giant fire salmon sculpture with fireworks at the end of the parade and the giant lantern making workshop created a mayfly. We received excellent feedback for both events: "I was astounded by the success of the lantern parade - it was incredible how many people were lining the route and crowding on the bridges, and they certainly weren't disappointed. It was so spectacular, and I'm sure it's something that none of the children will ever forget. You have done brilliantly and deserve the highest praise for all the enthusiasm and effort you put into it. Many congratulations" Jeffrey Olstead "To my mind, Leaping Lights presents a very positive model of how the arts can work in the current era given the right environment -and a lot other organisations (the Arts Council included) could learn a lot from it" Sean Harris Leaping Lights Festival lanterns in place in the river of lights

The salmon animation by Wild Boar Press and the projection rig by PaBOOM Children building salmon lanterns in schools workshops and volunteers building the giant salmon lantern at a community workshop The giant Mayfly lantern finished in the Oriel Davies gallery by volunteers

6. Monitoring and evaluation Bilingual project evaluation forms were created at the beginning of the project and were completed by participants. Comments on the monitoring forms were taken into account when planning subsequent events. We also consulted informally throughout the project on the needs of each community.

7. Project finance Project expenditure October 2013-Sep 2016 Total costs Revenue Planned Actual Expenses 27,720 24,140 Training 10,800 7,396 Monitoring 1,200 1,141 Publicity 13,440 11,170 Leaping Lights Festival 11,460 21,677 SRT staff time inc. pension, NI 142,159 143,139 RSPB staff time 44,210 19,358 Tidy Towns Hogweed project 25,000 25,000 Overheads 17,917 8,390 Capital Vehicle 16,100 22,658 Tools/equipment 26,209 19,676 Total 336,215 303,745 Project income April 2013-Sep 2016 With an NRW grant, we were able to start the project early with 18,977.49 income being spent before our Lottery grant was received. This was spent on SRT staff time and project expenses. Project income Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Big Lottery 88,036 81,272 77.805 247,113 NRW 43,100 43,100 Arts Council Wales 5,000 5,000 Tidy Towns 25,000 25,000 Newtown and Llan. TC 800 1200 2000 WCVA 509.49 509.49 Total 322,722.49

8. Conclusions and recommendations Through Monty Rivers Project and the Severn Uplands Catchment Partnership we have worked with all of the relevant local organisations and formed strong working partnerships in the Montgomeryshire area. The key to the success of this project was in providing "ownership" to each community by facilitating leaders from within communities. We have been successful in reconnecting communities using the river as a focus. In particular, the Leaping Lights Festival has become a great focus for the community in Newtown. Our projects with Tir Coed have been particularly successful in terms of improving health and wellbeing. The Trout in the classroom element was the least successful aspect of the project, but we have now developed a clearly methodology which would allow us to work on the project in future. Our work to improve the condition in rivers in the Severn Uplands has been successful in motivating communities to take direct action to remove litter and invasive non-native species. The Riverfly Monitoring Initiative training has been very well received. The support of the project officer has been instrumental in getting these projects off the ground. A period of at least a year is ideal to get a group up and running, but ensuring links with an organisation such as Severn Rivers Trust is what will help it to be sustainable. Knowledge and understanding of the importance and beauty of local rivers has increase throughout the project, directly due to the outreach work done.

Appendices List of partners Organisation name RSBP Cymru Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust Natural Resources Wales Wild Trout Trust Oriel Davies Gallery Teme Valley Environmental Group Tir Coed Sector 39 Close Encounters with Nature Powys County Council Aberystwyth University National Eisteddfod Powys County Council Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council Afonydd Cymru Cylch Meithrin y Drenewydd Upper Tanat Fishing Club

Key project outcomes Number of community groups Length of invasive removal Target Completed Year 1 6 6 End of project 10 10 Year 1 5,000m 14,800 Year 2 5,000m 17,100 Year 3 5,000m 9,600 End of project 15,000m 41,500 Number of events Year 1 10 118 Year 2 30 82 Year 3 30 86 End of project 70 286 Riverfly training Year 1 10 34 (no. people) Year 2 10 33 Year 3 10 23 End of project 30 90 Number of shows Year 1 5 6 Year 2 5 5 Year 3 5 5 End of project 15 16 Number of education days Host the Hafren Festival Total number of people informed Year 1 20 17 Year 2 20 39 Year 3 20 25 End of project 60 81 Year 2 Achieved Year 3 Achieved End of Project 10,000 300,000

Appendices: Project evaluation form example Welsh Ffurflen Werthuso Digwyddiad Project Afonydd Maldwyn Gobeithio eich bod wedi mwynhau eich digwyddiad Project Afonydd Maldwyn. Byddem yn gwerthfawrogi pe baech yn gallu cwblhau r ffurflen hon i n galluogi ni i wella ein gwasanaeth. Mae eich sylwadau n bwysig i ni. Eich enw (dewisol):. Dyddiad: Digwyddiad a fynychwyd:.. Côd post cartref:. 26-35 36-49 50+ Ystod oedran: 0-16 17-25 Grŵp cymunedol yr ydych yn gysylltiedig ag o os yn berthnasol. Wnaethoch chi fwynhau r digwyddiad? Do Naddo Ardderchog Da iawn Gweddol Sâl Dd/B Drwyddo draw, sut ddigwyddiad oedd hwn? A fyddech chi n ei wneud eto? Byddwn Na fyddwn A fyddech yn ei argymell i ffrindiau? Byddwn Na fyddwn Beth wnaethoch chi ei fwynhau fwyaf am y digwyddiad? Beth all fod yn well y tro nesaf? Sylwadau: Diolch i chi am dreulio amser yn cwblhau r ffurflen werthuso hon. Cofiwch ei dychwelyd i Lisa Barlow. Fodd bynnag, os yw n well gennych ei hanfon yn uniongyrchol at Ymddiriedolaeth Afonydd Hafren drwy r post, dylech gyfeirio r amlen i Lydbrook Cottage, 4 Dunthrop Road, Heythrop, Chipping Norton, OX7 5TL. Os yw n well gennych siarad gydag aelod arall o staff am eich profiadau, cysylltwch â Mike Morris, Prif Reolwr Project: mike@severnriverstrust.com Ewch i n gwefan www.severnriverstrust.com, ein hoffi ar Facebook www.montyriversproject a n dilyn ar Trydar www.twitter.com/montyriversproj

Event Evaluation Form Monty Rivers Project We hope you enjoyed your Monty Rivers Project event. We would appreciate it if you could take a few moments to complete this form to allow us to improve our service. Your feedback is important to us. Your name (optional):. Date: Event attending:.. Home postcode:. Age range: 0-16 17-25 26-35 36-49 50+ Community group associated with if applicable:. Did you enjoy the event? Yes No Excellent Very Good Fair Poor N/A All in all, how was the event? Would you do it again? Would you recommend it to friends? Yes No Yes No What did you enjoy most about the event? What could we do better next time? Comments: Thank you for taking the time to complete this evaluation form. Please return it to Lisa Barlow. However, if you would prefer to send it directly to the Severn Rivers Trust by post, please address the envelope to Lydbrook Cottage, 4 Dunthrop Road, Heythrop, Chipping Norton, OX7 5TL. If you would prefer to speak to another member of staff about your experiences, please contact Mike Morris, Senior Project Manager: mike@severnriverstrust.com Please visit our website www.severnriverstrust.com, like us on Facebook www.montyriversproject and follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/montyriversproj

Examples of press cuttings