Latest News Update

Early Ure on Lunds Fell, Wensleydale by David Armitage

In this issue:

Harrogate Becks - Outfall Safari Report & reel

Latest info-reels

Ousewem - Re-wriggling the river

Christmas fundraiser

New website

Making Space for Water

Penalties for water companies - Consultation

Harrogate Becks - Outfall Safari report

A major survey of Harrogate’s Oak and Bilton becks has uncovered that several misconnections in the drainage network are adding highly polluting discharges to their waters.

As part of our Harrogate Becks project in partnership with the Wild Trout Trust , Nidd Action Group , Yorkshire Water and the Environment Agency , 16 volunteers surveyed 64 outfalls ranging from small pipes to large culverts, to assess for visible signs of pollution and to also chemically test for ammonia and phosphate, both indicators of pollution, which in high levels is extremely harmful to wildlife. Pollution was found in 29 of the outfalls tested, with 11 of those classed as high risk, major polluters. The full report identifying the top six polluting outfalls is available below:

>>> For those wanting to learn about the results and ask any questions in person, please come along to our public event on Wednesday 26 November, 6-8pm at St Peters Church, Harrogate. Book your place here

Photo: Jennifer Lee, YDRT Volunteer and Engagement Officer testing Oak Beck, Harrogate

Latest YDRT info-reels

If you want to find out more about Outfall Safaris and how you can ensure you are looking after yours correctly then our educational video short by volunteer marketeer, Abi Smith is the perfect starting point.

Abi has also created a further video for our YouTube channel about Riverfly monitoring and its use for assessing pollution and overall river health.

You can watch both videos via the link below:

Photo: Sarah Lonsdale, Project Manager River Enhancement

Re-wriggling the river!

We have delivered our largest Ousewem project so far. We’re delighted to have worked in partnership with the forward thinking owners of the Hauxwell Estate near Leyburn to create a huge, new nine hectare wetland habitat . As the photograph shows, the once artificially straightened Brompton Beck has been reconnected to its floodplain and restored with its wriggles and meanders - the first time in more than 150 years that this watercourse has been able to move freely.

Click on the button below to read about the series of natural flood management (NFM) measures that now slow the flow, store water in the landscape (around 2992 cubic metres!), and enhance biodiversity across the estate.

Photo credit - Ousewem: The newly profiled Brompton Beck at Hauxwell

Christmas fundraiser

This year instead of hosting our annual auction, we are putting our energy into maximizing the fund raising potential of our Big Give Christmas Challenge 2025. Running 2 - 9 December this provides a unique opportunity for all donations to our charity to be doubled!

The match-funded donations will help to fund our environmental education project and mobile classroom which aims to inspire the next generation of environmental custodians , teaching them what they can do to help rivers and wildlife, whilst at the same time having a positive impact on mental and physical health.

We’ll email again at the end of the month to let you know when this special fundraiser goes live.

Read more about our education programme via the button below:

Photo: Our education project.

Our new website goes live!

For the last few months our Finance and Engagement Manager, Mary Boyd and Communications and Marketing Officer, Victoria Benn have been working with Design Farm Studio to create a new and improved YDRT website. With a better website ‘customer journey’, more engaging visuals and up to date information about our work, we hope you will take a moment to dip into it to discover our projects, people and resources - or simply how you can get more involved with us:

Making Space for Water

Decades of land drainage and river modification have changed how water moves through the countryside affecting how rivers and their floodplains now cope with our changing environment and more extreme weather events - which is extremely bad news for people and nature. The Rivers Trust is therefore seeking a mandate to ask the government to support farmers and landowners to make space for water with more, easily accessible funding schemes that will help them create and maintain connected land along all river corridors with buffers, wetlands and riparian tree planting at scale.

Please sign its petition via the button below to help it reach 10,000 signatures so government will consider this important ask for water security:

Photo: an example of river modification on the River Wharfe at Linton Falls