Rivers4Life
Our exciting new education project is funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Rivers4Life exhibition
Our family-friendly exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, was very popular this summer, with lots of things to engage audiences of all ages, including some beautiful costumes of river creatures for dressing up, and lots of hands-on activities for children! We asked visitors to use any 3 words to describe how the exhibition made them feel; 111 different words were used, and the 3 most commonly occurring words were: Happy Calm and Inspiring!
With an exciting mixture of river facts, challenges and solutions, films, sound stations, artefacts, community and schools artwork, interactives, photography, an underwater installation, and a gorgeous stop-frame animation, it was a real celebration of our beautiful rivers!
Here's what visitors had to say:
“What a comprehensive exhibition - the way it all linked together like a seamless flow was so impressive. And the fact that you’ve involved so many children and young people in it was marvellous – as they are the future custodians of our rivers. The whole experience is really enjoyable.”
“An exhibition that makes sense to young and old. My girls and I have spent ages here and we will be back! Well done for including young people, who are our future.”
“I have really valued this exhibition with the bright, clear posters and great information.”
“Loved the children’s contributions!”
"Incredible display. Inspiring, practical – a real lesson on conservation and sense of place."
More about Rivers4Life
The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the largest funder for the UK’s heritage. Using money raised by National Lottery players they support projects that connect people and communities to heritage. Their 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. Heritage has the power 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 3-year 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 be collaborating with artists to inspire children and communities about everything to do with rivers and wildlife using the arts to connect with new audiences, and extending our education and engagement programme. Alongside our river sessions, there will be workshops to engage schools and community groups through visual art, soundscapes, theatre, stop-frame animation and music; we'll also be running guided walks 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 2026-7.
Year 1 - 2025
In Year 1 of the project, in addition to our rivers workshops with the mobile classroom, we worked 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 are included in the
Rivers4Life exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum, Hawes, over the summer of 2026.
Year 2 - 2026
In Year 2 of the project, the Dales Countryside Museum in Hawes, hosted our family-friendly Rivers4Life summer exhibition showcasing the work of the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust, and including art produced in the Rivers4Life schools and community workshops, photography, artefacts, sound stations, films and interactives! The exhibition is now closed, but watch this space for future venues!
We enjoyed performances in Hawes and Ripon of "Tributaries" - an exciting bespoke community theatre performance about the River Ure written and produced by by Fell Foss Theatre, featuring poetry, prose and music; we are looking into further performances for summer 2027 ... tba!
We will also be continuing our programme of schools workshops and guided river walks. Contact education@ydrt.co.uk for more information.
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
Let there be Light! concert - Saturday 28th November
Saturday 28th November 5pm to 6pm
FREE entry
Church of St Andrew, Grinton, Richmond
Join Marske Community Choir, Muker Silver Band, The Dales Dance School, and guest musicians, as we celebrate life on earth with music, light, art and dance.
The children of Reeth Community Infant School and Gunnerside Methodist Junior School, and The Federation of Middleham CE (VA) Junior School and Spennithorne CE (VA) Infant School will be contributing to this innovative event, preparing through a series of art, music and river wildlife workshops hosted by the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust's Rivers4Life project, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Supported by Swaledale Festival for lighting and sound.
Tickets free but booking essential. To reserve you place book here:
Let there be Light! concert Tickets, Saturday, November 28 • 5 PM - 6 PM | Eventbrite
Rivers4Life Photography Competition
A big thank you to everyone who entered our photography competition. We were blown away by the standard of your beautiful images!
The competition is now closed and the final stage of judging completed, selecting the winning photographs featuring our Yorkshire Dales rivers and wildlife. The five winning images from each of the four seasons were on display in the Rivers4Life exhibition at the Dales Countryside Museum. The Rivers4Life 2027 calendar of the winning photographs is now available to purchase for £10 through the shop at the Dales Countryside Museum or by contacting us on enquiries@ydrt.co.uk (£10 + p&p).
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."
"I enjoyed everything about the whole experience!" (pupil)
(River wildlife and Music composition workshops).
Colburn Community Primary School
A memorable experience for the children to be hands on with the activities and learning. The children loved it!
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).
Care Home, Richmond
Residents were active and engaged, using a range of skills. (They were) very interested talking about rivers and memories of fishing and the countryside, and happy to chat. (Carer)
Since January 2025 our Rivers4Life education project has engaged with:
Schools
Children
Community groups
As part of the Rivers4Life arts workshops, children from Applegarth Primary School worked with artist
Finn Varney, to produce a stop-frame animation film.
Finn is a filmmaker, animator and community artist who loves helping people connect with nature. Their work focuses on positive stories, showing how nature can be cared for and restored, celebrating the people who protect the environment. Finn’s projects help young people build a strong connection with the natural world and gives them the confidence and skills to share their own ideas through media such as stop‑motion animation.
Our workshops involved creating an animated short film on the theme of rivers and nature from an original storyboard. The children chose which elements they wanted to create and animate, assisted with filming and made recordings for the narration for the film.
You can view the finished film "Everyone Loves Rivers" below:
