River group’s work ‘trout-standing’

blackmorevaleFebruary 15, 20210 Comment0

At a time when our open spaces are more important than ever, members of the River Group CATCH in Wincanton have been honoured with a Gold Level for caring for the River Cale.

With careful planning and compliance with government guidelines, working parties were able to carry out litter picks, balsam bashing, kick sampling, wildflower meadow management, digital mapping, website development, online talks and participation in workshops, environmental meetings and maintenance work to the rock berm and flow deflectors.

CATCH is one of only two urban river groups in the UK to have received official accreditation as a ‘Trout in the Town Gold Level Chapter’ from the Wild Trout Trust (WTT) in recognition of the group’s professionalism in community engagement, governance, health and safety, along with delivering projects which benefit the river and local people.

Wild Trout Trust certificate

WTT is a conservation charity working across Britain and Ireland to help anyone interested in making a better world for our rivers, lakes and their wildlife, including our native trout. Flourishing wild trout populations are a sign of the health of our waterways and the land around them. WTT’s team of expert conservation officers work with landowners, local communities, fishing clubs, rivers trusts and government agencies to offer practical advice and hands-on habitat improvement projects. See wildtrout.org.

Steve Lee of CATCH said: “It was also a great honour to the group that one of the town’s local schools, during their program of home learning, used videos of CATCH at work as part of their ‘Rivers’ study topics. Education has always been seen as key to helping to ensure the longevity of the voluntary group.”

Steve added: “Last year was a year none of us shall forget, the impact of covid- 19 has been felt by us all; individuals, families, businesses, communities and so many other groups and organisations. Despite the challenges of a worldwide pandemic we as humans have learnt to adapt and from the hardship positive stories emerge. Community spirit and resilience, as they have so often in the past, once again continued to be carried out in abundance. Although the necessary restrictions prevented CATCH from carrying out many of their usual tasks, work continued as best it could on ensuring the local River Cale was well cared for, along with much that lives and grows within the river habitat.”

If you’d like to learn more about CATCH or get involved please visit their website rivercale.org or find them on Facebook at ‘CATCH – Community Action to Transform Cale Habitat’.