Engaging local communities has been essential to the work of the Watercress and Winterbournes Landscape Partnership Scheme. Throughout the delivery of the scheme, many residents were already passionate about tackling the pressures on their streams and Watercress and Winterbournes has brought these people together, uniting them in pursuit of large-scale change.
Three new groups have been formed to monitor and care for their chalk streams– the Pillhill Brook Association, the Upper Test Chalk Stream Conservation Group and the Upper Itchen Restoration CIC. They will be working alongside existing groups such as the Cheriton Conservation Group and TARCA (The Anton River Conservation Association) to regularly monitor their local chalk streams and to carry out activities such as removing invasive non-native species, delivering events, and engaging with local people to encourage others to care for their chalk streams. These groups will be acting as stewards for their local chalk streams in the years to come.
Each of the groups is focused on different chalk stream catchments, If you’re interested in getting involved, then both new and established groups would love to hear from you. We recommend joining the group which covers your local area, but you may want to join another if you have strong ties to that catchment:
| Organisation | Area / Focus | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Pillhill Brook Association | Pillhill Brook | Visit website pillhillbrook@gmail.com |
| TARCA – The Anton River Conservation Association | Upper Anton / Andover area | Visit website antonriver@live.com |
| Upper Test Chalk Stream Conservation | Upper Test, Laverstoke Pond and Bourne Rivulet | uppertest.chalkstream@gmail.com |
| Upper Itchen Restoration CIC | Candover Brook, River Arle and Cheriton Stream | Visit website Upperitchenrestorationcic@gmail.com |
| Cheriton Conservation Volunteers | Cheriton Stream | Visit website bandbforestry@btinternet.com |