Rivers4Life
Our exciting new education project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Inspiring Communities
Using money raised by National Lottery players, The National Lottery Heritage Fund supports projects that connect people and communities with the UK's heritage. Rivers4Life is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Thanks to National Lottery players, we have been able to extend our education and engagement programme to connect schools and communities with rivers and wildlife through science and the arts, to inspire everyone to get involved with caring for our rivers.
More about Rivers4Life
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players we support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. From historic buildings, our industrial legacy and the natural environment, to collections, traditions, stories and more. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. Find out more at www.heritagefund.org.uk.
Thanks to National Lottery players the Rivers4Life project will enable us to work with schools and communities along the rivers Wharfe, Swale, Ure, Nidd and Ouse, and their tributaries. Through the project we will inspire children and communities about everything to do with rivers and wildlife.
This 3-year project will allow us to deliver an exciting programme combining the arts and science, to reach a wider audience. We will be working with local schools and community groups offering workshops to engage people through visual art, soundscapes, theatre, stop-frame animation and music; we'll also be running guided walks, art workshops and family activity sessions during school holidays.
If your school or community group is in the catchments of the rivers of the Yorkshire Dales, please email education@ydrt.co.uk to enquire about Rivers4Life workshops or booking the Rivers mobile classroom to visit your school in 2025-6.
Year 1 - 2025
In Year 1 of the project, in addition to our rivers workshops with the mobile classroom, we have been working on some amazing arts projects linking groups with rivers and wildlife! School and community workshops have involved collaborating with fabulous artists including
Ashford Cottage Design, filmmaker, animator and community artist
Finn Varney,
Falling Stars Theatre,
Music Box, and Soundscape artist
David de la Haye. The finished pieces will be included in the
Rivers4Life exhibition in the summer of 2026.
Year 2 - 2026
In Year 2 of the project, the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, will be hosting our Rivers4Life summer exhibition showcasing the work of the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, and including art produced in the Rivers4Life workshops. The exhibition will be open to the public from Saturday 6th June to Sunday 6th September 2026.
We will also be continuing our schools workshops and running training sessions for teachers, leading guided river walks, and presenting an exciting bespoke community theatre performance about the River Ure during the Ripon Theatre Festival in July.
Year 3 - 2027
In Year 3 we will be working with two local schools to install Sustainable Drainage Solution (SuDS) features such as rain gardens and water butts, in school grounds. There will also be training opportunities for teachers and group leaders to learn about river wildlife and freshwater invertebrate sampling. If you work at a school in our catchment and you'd like to find out more about the SuDS installations or teacher training sessions, please get in touch:
education@ydrt.co.uk.
Rivers4Life Events
Falling Stars Theatre - free event!
Save the date! Friday 20th February 2026. Leyburn Methodist Church Hall, Market Place, Leyburn DL8 5BB. The hour-long performances will be at 11am and 2pm.
Join Falling Stars Theatre and a host of memorable characters, for a trip down the river like you’ve never experienced before.
An interactive theatre performance for all the family. Children must be accompanied by a parent or carer over 18.
Falling Stars Theatre hope to encourage people to take responsibility in protecting the natural world around them, raising awareness and respect for the river.
Booking advised for your free place. Some walk-in admissions may be available on the day.
River Lines Linocut Workshop
A linocut workshop using rivers and their natural history as inspiration, led by Sally from Ashford Cottages design.
Date: Tuesday 23rd June 2026
Location: Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes, 10.30 am to 3.30pm. £50 pp including lunch and all materials. Booking required through DCM Events at https://www.dalescountrysidemuseum.org.uk/events
Felted Rivers - free event!
Wednesday 5th August 2026
Make your own needle-felted river scene, to coincide with the Rivers4Life exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes. Included in museum admission.
Family drop-in sessions from 1pm to 4pm.
No booking required.
Watery Weavings - free event!
Thursday 6th August 2026
Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes.
A free family art workshop on rivers and wildlife, linking with our Rivers4Life exhibition.
Morning session 10.30am to 12.30pm
Afternoon session 2pm - 4pm.
Spaces are limited so please book ahead to avoid disappointment. Book your FREE place at https://www.dalescountrysidemuseum.org.uk/events/
Photo Competition
From macro images of microscopic life to marvellous mammals, from waterfalls to water voles – we’ve launched a competition to find the best photographs of our Yorkshire Dales rivers and wildlife, to be included in our Rivers4Life exhibition.
Some feedback from the groups we have worked with:
Hunton & Arrathorne CP School
”The children really enjoyed it and I felt there was a fun atmosphere in both the initial workshop and then the final performance, helped by the enthusiastic delivery of the team."
(Falling Stars Theatre workshop and performance of the River Project).
Hawes Community Primary School
”The children loved the whole process from drawing, to cutting the lino and printing it at the end. A brilliant experience for the children - they loved it and so did I!"
(River wildlife lino printing workshop).
Boroughbridge Primary School
”Extremely inclusive - our SEND children were fully involved and engaged."
"Child 1: I enjoyed everything about the whole experience!"
(River wildlife and Music composition workshops).
Women's group, Refugee Council
“The women (enjoyed) talking about their own connection to rivers in Afghanistan and sharing it with each other, (giving a) sense of empowerment. Felt like a good springboard in connecting to the rivers project." (Group leader).
"Before I came here, I was feeling unhappy. Now I come here and I'm happy." (Participant).
(A series of textile and art workshops on the theme of rivers and wildlife).
