Wendy is a founder trustee of The Aire Rivers Trust and a former Chair of Bradford and Bingley Canoe Club. She is our Safeguarding lead.
She began canoeing on the Aire in 1974 and remembers signs along the river warning people of dangerously polluted water.
“The quality of our local water courses is a signal of how we value and care for our environment and the improving quality of the Aire is a success story to be proud of.
Recreational use of the river enables local people to value it and engage with its care. This means reducing pollution, managing the spread of invasive non-native species and restoring the river towards a natural state. In the past the Aire has been exploited at great cost to plant and animal life. Restoration of the river and its catchment is a win-win for people and nature.”