Cross-border learning to support Water Stewardship on the Island of Ireland
The Rivers Trust Water Stewardship Team: Seren Patterson, Lex Robinson, Alex Konieczka and Carol Quish came together to explore Nature-based Solutions on a knowledge exchange trip in Southeast England.
26/06/25
The tour took the team around three wetlands and was a great opportunity to see first-hand how nature-based solutions, funded in part or in total by businesses operating in the catchment, are creating tangible environmental benefits and strengthening partnerships with local stakeholders.
We explored a range of impactful Replenish Projects delivered by Member Trusts. Each visit was led by those in the movement who often spend years developing these projects initial ideas to making them a reality. Seeing their work and exploring these pockets of wilderness, brought Replenish to life, offering a real sense of what’s possible when nature-based solutions are backed by targeted investment and strong local partnerships
These wetlands are already delivering measurable water and biodiversity benefits in England, and the insights we have gained will be key to shaping the development of our growing Water Stewardship service on the Island of Ireland.
At Wilton Wetland we were joined by Charlotte Hitchmough from Action for the River Kennet and discovered about how habitat restoration is improving water quality and enhancing biodiversity in the upper Kennet catchment.
Our visit of the North London Wetlands with John Bryden from Thames21, showed us how urban interventions are reducing pollution, managing flood risk, and creating green spaces that benefit local communities.
And finally, our time with Ed Byers from SouthEast Rivers Trust at Chamber Mead Wetland was spent discussing how new wetland features are treating urban runoff before it enters the Hogsmill, a rare chalk stream of high ecological value.
All of these natural sites and the discussions we had along the way highlighted the importance of catchment-scale thinking and collaborative delivery, principles at the heart of The Rivers Trust movement.
This trip not only strengthened connections between our teams but also reaffirmed our ambition: to restore rivers through evidence-led action, community engagement, and innovative funding models that deliver for nature and rivers, and the communities that they support.
A big thank you to Action for The River Kennet, Thames21, and SouthEast Rivers Trust for hosting and sharing their experiences and expertise!
Find out more about Water Stewardship
We believe partnering with businesses of all sizes is paramount to delivering real change at scale when it comes to shared water challenges in the UK and Ireland. Our Water Stewardship Service helps businesses to work at catchment scale and deliver sustainable solutions for water.