Support for Landowners

The Aire Rivers Trust offers support to landowners as we know that what happens on the land affects the river. Flooding in recent years has caused misery to businesses and homeowners in the Aire valley. To help reduce this impact a range of measures are being implemented. In and around our cities’ engineered solutions are designed to protect properties. While in the rural areas existing land features can be used. This is known as Natural Flood Management and reduces the speed of rainwater entering the river without affecting productivity. Within the Aire valley is the most ambitious scheme so far in the country. The Aire Rivers Trust can help develop features on any suitable land.

The sort of features that we would want to implement are, intercepting runoff, rainwater storage areas, tree planting, buffer strips, leaky dams, and soil aeration. Any of these will cause rainwater to enter the river system slower than it does now.

Our DNAire project means that the River Aire is now open to fish passage and reverses 200 years where particularly Salmon were denied the ability to spawn in the upper catchment. Data shows that this change is just the beginning of what is needed to achieve a river that is a positive asset for the people and wildlife of the area. Our attention is to now work with the landowners who have land that drains into the river via the tributaries and water courses. Not only does this affect the river but has the potential to help alleviate flooding further downstream by slowing the flow. The land surrounding the River Aire is well used, there is good quality grazing; equine husbandry; recreational use such as sports, parks, and camping; private ownership; education; and our thriving urban centres. We can work with all types of land uses to promote the welfare of the river.

Leaky dams slow the flow of water high up in the catchment

Our aim is to provide a good summary of the options that may be available so that you can make an informed decision about making changes to your land. After an initial visit and assessment, we want to be able to provide ongoing support and advice to achieve shared aims.

Aire Rivers Trust has developed a regular programme of volunteer workdays. We deliver river clean-ups, invasive species removal, tree planting, footpath repairs and hedge laying. The volunteers help us carry out the practical improvements to the river and will be involved in the delivery of projects where possible.

Our volunteers hedge laying at Bingley North Bog

Currently we are seeking farmers and landowners who we could interest in planting Natural Flood Management features such as woodland, buffer strips and hedges within the Aire catchment. We will be able to offer advice and support in the development of projects and then link landowners to full funding for them under the Leeds FAS2 (Flood Alleviation Scheme) which is using organisations like us to engage with landowners to identify interested parties and draw up outline plans.

If you’re located in the Aire Valley and would like to find out more about how trees and other natural flood management measures could help your farmland to become more flood resilient and improve the river, please get in touch with Nick Milsom Aire Rivers Trust on 07378 878857 or email nick.milsom@aireriverstrust.org.uk

Capturing the return of salmon in glass

Update: In December 2022 we unveiled Alex's completed statue on the banks of the River Aire in Gargrave. You can read about it in the Craven Herald.

Two fish leap in a graphic that divides text

Bringing art to the riverside village of Gargrave

An example of Alex's work from a private garden

The Aire Rivers Trust is bringing together Yorkshire artist Alex Blakey and the local community to celebrate the return of a globally threatened fish to the village. Atlantic salmon were once so common in the River Aire that the Reverend Miles Gale described in 1690 how poor folk from Keighley would hunt them at Michaelmas “with blazing iron forks.” The growth of mills and cities along the Aire poisoned the river and blocked their way meaning that they did not return to the river above Leeds for 150 years.

Now the reconnection of the final 60 kilometres of impassable river, with fish passes in Leeds and Saltaire, has paved the way for this iconic species to return to Craven. Atlantic salmon are born in pebble beds of rivers and streams in Yorkshire but must make a migration that takes them to the waters of the Atlantic Sea off the coasts of Greenland and Norway before returning to shallow rivers like the River Aire at Gargrave. Good water quality and an open route to our oceans are vital to fish species, like Atlantic salmon and European eels, who travel vast distances during their lifetimes. The demise and likely removal of the weir next to the Scapa Healthcare site at the lower end of the village means that one-day lucky people may spot them swimming through the village.

Experts at the Environment Agency believe that we will see Atlantic salmon spawning in the upper waters of the River Aire in the next few years after catching individuals further downstream looking for spawning opportunities. They are working with local charity the Aire Rivers Trust on a project called Developing the Natural Aire which is working to improve the River Aire and has worked with hundreds of volunteers to encourage wildlife along the river.

Tell us about your local river

Many local residents will have fond memories of playing in the river at Gargrave and species such as grayling, brown trout, kingfishers, and otters that call it their home. Artist Alex Blakey hopes to capture some of these in a piece that will celebrate the nature and heritage of the river at Gargrave. Alex is one of the UK’s leading glass artists and her work draws inspiration from individual and collective stories and memories. By utilising its natural colours and transparent qualities she aims to hold memories and the emotions they evoke within the glass. As a glass artist, she believes that glass has the ability to connect us between both the existing and imagined world. It can provide a window into the past or a glimpse into the future.

Memories from local residents from a community event in Gargrave in March

What happens next

Alex’s glass is held within robust frames to create public works of art and the Aire Rivers Trust is working with Gargrave Parish Council to agree on a final location along the river. Alex will be visiting local schools to work with young people to explore this unusual and tactile material. Look out for other community events in Gargrave and online on the new dedicated Facebook page.

Exploring Bingley North Bog

Where is Bingley North Bog?

Bingley North Bog is a West Yorkshire wetland located in between the A650 and the impressive Five Rise Locks landmark. According to The Canal and Rivers Trust, the bog was formed around 10,000 years ago as a result of a glacier that covered much of Airedale forming a moraine; a moraine is a collection of sediment that has been deposited downhill by a glacier. Vegetation (plants) in the waterlogged area began to both partially decay and partially preserve, creating the peatland we see at North Bog today. Peat looks a lot like soil but can only be found in the wet, acidic conditions of bogs!

What is special about North Bog?

Bingley North Bog is a particularly important site for many reasons, one of which being its role against climate change. Peatlands are incredible at taking carbon from the air and storing it. Peatlands cover around 3% of the world’s land, yet they store double the amount of carbon as all of the world’s forests by trapping the carbon that living plants had captured from the air. It is because of this that Tim Christopherson from the UN Environment Programme considers them the most essential environment on Earth, in terms of fighting climate change. If North Bog were to degrade and become an unhealthy bog, it could release its stored carbon, and in turn, accelerate global warming.

What does a healthy bog look like?

Bogs in good condition like North Bog, are wet and covered in vegetation. The mix of plants commonly found in bogs creates a ‘rough’ surface which slows the flow of water to towns and villages downhill when it rains. As it is a wetland, Bingley North Bog also helps prevent flooding of communities. Instead of flooding the town and villages, overflow can happen at the bog because there is plenty of space and vegetation that can use the water! This means that North Bog is an essential part of flood prevention in the area. Follow the link to watch a video produced by Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust with further information on this: Natural Flood Management - Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust (ydrt.org.uk)

Wildlife

Bingley North Bog is home to a diverse group of wildlife including dragonflies, damselflies, frogs, toads, insects, bugs and bats to name a few. The Canal and Rivers Trust have identified mallards, herons, white geese, coots, moorhens and kingfishers as birds you might spot around the bog. On top of this, Shaun Radcliffe of Bradford Ornithological Group has spotted blackcaps, chiff-chaffs and reed buntings in the area as well.

Species Profile: Kingfisher

Orange breast with an electric blue back
Feed on small fish, crayfish, dragonfly larvae and newts
High-pitched whistling call
Most often found in small rivers but are found around most bodies of water
They have been spotted on our volunteer days at Bingley North Bog

What can people do at Bingley North Bog?

Look out for the wildlife, it’s not every day you get to see the wildlife that can be found at North Bog! Try the Bingley five rise locks and canal family walk and keep an eye out for all the wildlife mentioned above. The loop will take you from town past the 5 locks, 3 locks, North Bog, along the canal and back to town again so there is plenty of opportunities to spot some wildlife. There is also a geocaching search set up by the Canal and Rivers Trust that explains aspects of North Bog that create a great habitat for all of the wildlife there. This is a great idea for a family day out!

Volunteer with us!

Every week we organise volunteer days where we run a variety of events such as hedge laying, tree planting and litter picking. Anyone and everyone is encouraged to join in and help us protect the river Aire and surrounding areas. If you want to volunteer with us, register your interest here:

https://aireriverstrust.org.uk/volunteer-with-us/

The Start of my ART Journey

I’m finding it difficult to believe that I have been working for the Aire Rivers Trust for three months now. Time really does fly when you're having fun! So much has already happened that I wanted to take a moment to share my favourite bits so far as well as all the things that I am still looking forward to doing as my placement goes on.

During my first week I was able to go and see electrofishing in old mill goit

I think the best place to start has to be with our wonderful volunteers. I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting you all. Thank you for making me feel so welcome and bearing with me as I find my feet. The amount that has been achieved even in this short period of time has blown me away. The range of work I have been able to participate in is huge, but my favourite bits have to include coppicing, wildflower meadow conservation, and in a very weird way, path laying. Although I am yet to master how to use a billhook properly, I am determined that by the time I have finished my placement I will be able to use one with some degree of success.

Going out to help with Japanese Knotweed treatment has been something that I wasn’t expecting to get the opportunity to do, but I have absolutely loved it! It makes me feel very privileged that I get to go out and explore new places, even if they aren’t always the most glamorous. I am also really enjoying getting out and about in nature on a more regular basis and seeing loads of amazing species. I had the wonderful opportunity of being able to go and see salmon jumping Stainforth Force, an experience I know I will never forget and a definite highlight of the year. But there is also something really special about seeing more humble species like kingfishers, herons, or even beetles when you least expect it that makes me smile.

I am looking forward to getting stuck in with tree planting and litter picking later on in the year, as well as continuing to meet and talk with even more inspiring people from who I am constantly learning.

Removing thistles @ Baildon — Pulling thistles at Baildon floodable meadow

There have definitely been aspects that I have found challenging, but that is never a bad thing and I hope that over the next few months I will continue to surprise myself and gain more confidence in my abilities within the supportive ART community.

I have already learnt so much and can’t wait to see what the next few months bring!

The What, How and Why Guide to Hedge Laying

Hedge laying is a task that we complete with the help of our volunteers throughout the winter months, from October till March, while the growth stage of the hedge is dormant and it is unlikely for birds to be nesting in this season. Hedge laying is a traditional agricultural skill dating all the way back to Celtic times, been first mentioned in Julius Caesar’s ‘Commentaries on the Gallic Wars’ and is still in practice in the UK.

The use of hedge laying in the UK took a major hit after the Second World War due to many factors, including the lack of labour available to maintain the hedges in the traditional way, causing them to grow out into sparse lines more like a line of small trees, the rise in the use of wire and wire mesh to contain animals and marker land, the invention and wider use of machines designed to cut hedges and trees and changes in land use increasing land use for agricultural purposes, the increase in agricultural mechanisation saw many hedgerows grubbed out to increase field sizes.

The practice of hedge laying is still used in the UK for several reasons, such as an environmentally friendly alternative to fencing, creating a weather protective shield for cattle and crops, maintaining a habitat for rural wildlife and as an aesthetical screen for fields and gardens. Traditionally hedge laying would have been completed using billhooks, shears and axe/hatchets, and now loppers, small chainsaws are also used as well. With Hedge laying the process cannot be seen in its full light till the spring and once completed it normally looks quite ropey and messy when all cut up, but this allows the lower areas to access light in the spring allowing the whole shrub to grow from top to bottom creating a thicker, more consistent hedge.

Styles

Over the last couple of weeks those of you who have volunteered with us will have heard Nick explain that there are many different versions of hedge laying and why they are performed in this form, listed below are a few of the more popular styles used in the UK and a short explanation of how the styles differ and what they are primarily used for:

Midland- This style is the one our work is based off; we use this because it leaves as much foliage on the shrubs as possible. The Midlands style is also known as the Bullock Style and was used to keep large cattle in, the stakes were placed Plough side (meaning roadside), with the foliage weaved to the field side. The difference between our style and Midland is that Midland involved packing and cuttings against the foliage side to protect it from animal grazing and the upper parts of the pleaching (partially cut branches and stems) would be tied together with twine to stop the cattle untangling the hedges with their horns.
Derbyshire- Mainly found in Derbyshire, this style is used for field edging and sheep, this style uses shorter square stakes placed on the plough side of the hedge with the Pleached Branches woven firmly into the stakes, no binding is used.
Two Stake- common in Lancashire and Somerset, as the name suggests the hedge is laid between two stakes with only the tip of a stem pulled to the outside to keep them all in place, brash is removed and no binding is used.
Isle Of Wight- nearly extinct, this style is now only used for regrowing hedgerows now as it is untidy, the pleaching is cut with no foliage been removed and unlike most they are laid down on top of each other, usually in alternating directions, been pinned in place by hooked stakes irregularly placed.
Yorkshire- Typical features include a very low hedge only 2/3ft, stems which are planted closer than usual, around 8 inches apart, stakes and binders are normally bought such as cut stakes and twin as this style originates from Yorkshire uplands where these two materials aren’t easily found in windy conditions. Brash is laid against both plough and field side.

Where to find out more

There are many other types of hedging, and the tradition seems to be enjoying a revival as the techniques are used more to help establish and maintain the rural and urban countryside, if you are interested in learning more about Hedge laying there are a couple of sites you can visit including:

With most countryside-based skills, there are no specific Hedge layers, but every farmer contributed when needed so everyone would have needed to know how to do this. Therefore, it’s a great volunteer activity, allowing our volunteers to learn the basic techniques and be able to make and see a positive overall contribution.

The State Of Our River

This blog post was written in mid-October before the government's Environment Bill went before Parliament and the fantastic and widely publicised public debate that has followed it. Unfortunately, we have been delayed in publishing it or updating it due to staff sickness. We are still publishing as it contains (amongst other things) some really interesting maps and data about our catchment.

It's quite a long blog. If you want to find out how to make a difference you can skip to the end to find links to actions to take now.

How healthy is the Aire?

The start of October saw the release of the "State Of Our Rivers" report by the Rivers Trust (a national charity that campaigns on behalf of the Rivers Trust movement). It makes grim reading. England's rivers are failing and looking close to home this story rings true.

Make no mistake, our rivers are improving. We mustn’t let community memories of foam blowing off the river and down streets in Castleford or fish gasping for air below Baildon weir dominate conversations. The passing policeman who told one of the catchment’s river fly monitors “You won’t find anything alive in the River Worth,” was wrong. Our rivers are full of life. Pollution sensitive fish species like Atlantic salmon and grayling can once again be found near Leeds. With them, otters and kingfishers have returned, but our rivers are not good.

However only five of the 51 water bodies in our catchment have good ecological health.

The State Of Our Rivers" report identifies the key impacts on our rivers as agriculture; the water treatment sector; and the urban and transport sector a quarter. Pollution is not the only problem, though, as abstraction and habitat destruction also play their part in impoverishing our rivers.

Agriculture and the Upper Aire

After finishing tackling large amounts of Himalayan Balsam on Eller Beck, I recently took a walk downstream through Craven looking for other areas it had spread to. Walking downstream for about three kilometres I found almost none. Intriguingly, this isn't the good news story I hoped for. Instead, I found many banks with sparse vegetation, leaving them open to erosion by high flows. Grazing, often at uncontrolled locations where sheep and cattle can actually walk into our rivers, also places significant pressure on our waterways. We know that soil washed into our rivers pollutes our rivers, adding nutrients and smothering the gravels that fish need for spawning.

Within the Aire, much of this comes from livestock rather than arable farming. Work such as that undertaken by the Upper Aire Project is key to excluding livestock from our riverbanks and providing farmers with alternative water sources. For farmers to get on board it is critically important that the government makes it profitable to become involved in environmental schemes. We can only hope that pilot schemes for Defra's Environmental Land Management Schemes start to give the clarity farmers need for long term business planning.

Cows grazing beside the River Aire — Photo © Bill Harrison (cc-by-sa/2.0)

The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme Phase 2 is a unique opportunity for the Aire catchment. It echos a key theme of the State Of Our Rivers report that nature holds the key to us becoming climate-resilient. Renaturalising and remeandering channels; reconnecting floodplains; together with the creation of natural flood management features like tree planting, leaky dams and soil aeration hold the key to reducing the flood risk to our homes and communities. We are currently involved in a pilot project working with landowners to identify natural flood management potential. If you would like to know more please get in touch.

In the meantime, we will once again be planting trees this winter. Even with the disruptions of Covid, our staff and volunteers have planted over 5,500 in the past two years. There will be many more needed.

Get involved

You can help improve our local rivers by volunteering at one of our weekly volunteer sessions. the work we do ranges from planting trees to cleaning up the riverbank to laying hedges. Through this we hope to will introduce you to our fantastic river, others who care about it and offer you an enjoyable and rewarding experience.

We're particularly keen to recruit volunteers for our new citizen science project. The work they will do will help us understand our catchment, its health and the opportunities for improvement in it. You can find out more on our volunteering page.

If you spot pollution happening you can report it to the Environment Agency on 0800 807060.

Volunteer with us

Report pollution happening right now

Two leaves sit in a graphic that divides text

The impact of cities like Bradford and Leeds

The sewerage infrastructure that runs our streets was first put there by the Victorians and fundamentally, whilst populations have grown and the way we live has changed, those sewers are no longer up to the job. House building puts increasing strain on the sewerage network. To prevent sewage backing up into our homes, water companies are permitted to overspill untreated sewage into rivers during extreme rainfall events. However, these discharges happen with alarming regularity. The worst combined sewer overflow in our catchment is at Ingrow Lane in Keighley and discharged for a total of 2092 hours in 2020 (139 events of over 12 hours). You can explore your local area on the Rivers Trust's interactive sewerage map here. The blame for this doesn't rest solely with water companies and housebuilders. We buy new stuff and flush disposal cleaning products downpipes that were never built for them. Wet wipes form a depressing feature of every river clean up we do. We need the government to bring legislation that not only impacts water companies but manufacturers too. If you use wet wipes, please put them in the bin and NOT down the toilet.

At the launch of the State of Our Rivers report the Minister for the Environment Rebecca Pow boasted that, over the hill in Ilkley, her government has taken the step of designating the first river with the first inland bathing water status. This is a river I swim in regularly with my kids but she omitted to mention it is completely failing to meet the standards for this. (She also incorrectly named the swimming spot Otley which would no doubt horrify a few locals!) We all deserve rivers that are fit to play in whether it be fishing, swimming or canoeing.

Yorkshire Water has made some significant improvements over the past couple of years but our water bodies are still heavily impacted by both partially treated and untreated sewage discharges. Industry has played a huge role in the history of Airedale and we find a great deal of it remains along the banks of the Rivers Aire and Wharfe. We need to work with these industries to help them understand the risks they pose to the environment. Both Bradford and Leeds made the top five areas with serious water pollution incidents.

To tackle pollution in our rivers we need major investment in our sewage infrastructure. This is something that we not only need the government to demand but also to be willing as water consumers to pay for it.

The change we need

All these problems need urgent action. Our rivers cannot wait for politicians and corporations to improve our environment little step by little step. They need bold leaps into action.

We need robust legislation to protect our waterways and an Environment Agency that is funded well enough to enforce them.

We need the funding in place that enables charitable partners, farmers, landowners and water companies to make the investments that create sustainable change. Some of this will come from the government but some must come from us recognising the value of our environment and accepting that we must fund it, for example through the prices we pay for food.

We also need to take local action - wet wipes and fat in the bin not down the drain, take your litter home with you (you might leave it on the land, which is bad enough, but much of it then gets blown or washed into our rivers, get a qualified plumber to put in your washing machine or dishwasher and make sure they connect to the sewer and not the surface water drains and come to volunteer your little bit "every little helps" (to steal ASDA's tag line!)

Exploring our catchment

Only when people realise there is a problem are they likely to act. So we believe the best way to create this change is to share information. We need to connect communities to their river and each other to demand and bring about change. By making this data public we can hold regulators and polluters accountable.

As an example of the sort of information we hold and make freely available, the following map was created as part of a workshop to look for opportunities for improvement within Bradford Council's area. We want to use data to drive our decision making allowing us to make the most impact with our work.

This might seem a bit 'techy' but bear with us, it is simpler than it looks.

You will need to press the ">>" button in the top left hand corner to reveal the legend. Then click the tick boxes to add or remove layers of information from the map. Clicking the ">" button by each layer will reveal the full key.

An explanation of what each layer means can be found below.

Public Paths Outer / Bradford Public Paths / Other Paths Outer - Public footpaths in the Bradford area. Supplied by the Council as three layers but can be considered one dataset. This map was produced for a Bradford event so data has not been added for Craven or Leeds.

EA Risk of flood rivers Aire Clip - An Environment Agency assessment of flood risk/

Bradford Council Land - Land owned by Bradford Council

Cat1 2 Env Pollution Incident Aire Catch / Cat 3 Pollution Incident Waterbody heatmap - Water pollution incidents categorised from Category 1 (most serious) to Category 4 (least serious and not included in this map). Category 3 incidents are mapped as a heat map rather than individual incidents (as Category 1 and 2 are). You can read more on page 36 of this document here.

RiverObstaclesLayer Aire Catchment - Obstacles blocking fish passage in the river.

YorkshireWaterEDM2020 Clip - Yorkshire Water "Event Duration Monitoring" recording how long and how frequently combined sewer overflows released diluted sewage into water courses. You can read more here.

WB Aire Catchment WFD 2019 Fish 08OCT / WB Aire Catchment WFD 2019 Invertebrates 08OCT / WB Aire Catchment WFD 2019 Phosphate 08OCT / WB Aire Catchment WFD 2019 Ammonia 08OCT / WFD River Surface Water Aire Catchment only 2019 - The EU’s Water Framework Directive (WFD) which was adopted by the UK in 2000, imposes standards for the improvement of all aspects of water environments, including rivers, lakes, estuaries, coastal waters and groundwater. It requires surface water or ‘blue space’ to be of good quality by 2027. It assesses a number of chemicals and ecological components and rates them from High to Bad.

WB Aire Catchment WFD 2019 - Individual catchments are given assessments based on the lowest scoring component.

Aire Catchment River outlines - Our major watercourses.

OSMapWaterCourses Aire Clip - And minor ones.

Aire Catchment - The area covered by our catchment.

A call to action

There are lots that you can do to make a difference. Why not join us as a volunteer on the riverbank or make small changes in your home, like installing a water butt? The Aire Rivers Trust doesn't work alone. Nearly every river has Rivers Trust and we have an umbrella organisation called "The Rivers Trust" that campaigns on our behalf. Head to their website to learn more about the issues facing our rivers and to help them by writing to your MP.