National Trust does Big River Watch: A day of citizen science and nature connection
Last month, National Trust projects from the Freshwater Renaissance programme joined The Rivers Trust’s Big River Watch and Earthwatch Europe’s Great UK WaterBlitz, bringing communities together to get involved in citizen science, explore their local waterways, gather vital data and celebrate caring for our rivers, and in this blog the two projects share their reflections on the experience.
28/10/25
This September, projects from the National Trust’s Freshwater Renaissance programme joined up once again with two brilliant citizen science campaigns: The Rivers Trust’s Big RiverWatch and Earthwatch Europe’s Great UK WaterBlitz. Building on the success of events held in the spring, the projects held further community events to reconnect people with their local waterways, empower them to collect vital data, and inspire collective action to restore freshwater ecosystems.
The Holnicote project team recently teamed up with Yeovil Diversity Project and Queer Nature Club Southwest for a special day of nature connection, citizen science, and community at Horner Wood. Despite a chilly and grey start, spirits lifted as the sun broke through and Exmoor Ponies appeared, grazing peacefully nearby.
This event was months in the making. For nearly half a year, our team worked with partners to improve access to the stunning temperate rainforest of Horner Wood. Together, we carried out site visits, checked access needs, and carefully planned a route to make the day as inclusive and welcoming as possible.
A group of 25 travelled from Yeovil and Taunton, eager to explore the healing power of the Holnicote Estate. We began with a guided walk at Webber's Post, taking in sweeping views and spotting fungi, lichens, and mosses. Conversations flowed about ecological perspectives, seeing trees, rivers, and lichens as part of a connected natural neighbourhood.
Down by the river, the group took part in the Big River Watch survey, diving into freshwater ecology and sharing how the river made them feel. Words like ’happy’ and ‘cheerful’ came up again and again. Horner Water, which flows through the lower woodland, was the perfect spot to explore further.
Charlotte Burke, Engagement Lead for the Freshwater Renaissance Project at Holnicote, led a hands-on session with the Great UK WaterBlitz kits, showing everyone how to test water quality. Each participant received a kit to continue testing their own local rivers and streams.
For many, this was their first visit to Exmoor and their first time taking part in Big River Watch and Great UK WaterBlitz. The group ended the day by sharing personal reflections, thoughts and feelings from the experience.
The feedback was heartwarming. One participant shared:
“It was so relaxing and fascinating …. being part of the national water testing survey thanks to the kit we were given …. I felt so lucky to be part of this day.”
Holnicote Estate event participant
The Bure project team welcomed communities to Aldborough Community Centre for a day dedicated to river and soil health, with citizen science at its heart. Central to the event was participation in the Big River Watch and the Great UK WaterBlitz, giving attendees the opportunity to explore the health of the River Bure and learn more about the challenges facing our waterways.
Using the interactive ‘Riffle’ river on a table model, attendees were invited to design their own river restorations and test how they responded to flood events. This hands-on activity sparked engaging conversations throughout the day about the pressures on our rivers and the vital role citizen science plays in understanding and improving them.
Two documentaries titled Riverwoods and Putting the Wiggles Back in Rivers were screened at the event to emphasise the importance of restoring river ecosystems.
Following the documentaries, an immersive nature sounds walk was held. The walk was designed to deepen participants' connection with the river environment. At the end of the walk, participants were introduced to the Big River Watch app and shown how to access and complete the survey. In addition, participants also learned how to use the water quality test kit for the Great UK WaterBlitz through hands-on training. These kits were distributed to attendees for use at their local freshwater body, enabling widespread data collection from local freshwater sources.
The Big River Watch and the Great UK WaterBlitz stood at the heart of the day's citizen science activities, driving the collection of vital data to advance understanding of river health. Participants made meaningful contributions that support the protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems.
These two events celebrated curiosity, creativity, and collective action by bringing communities together in pursuit of thriving, resilient rivers.
The Freshwater Renaissance Programme is funded by the Government's Species Survival Fund. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's Length Bodies. It is being delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency. With this support, we are working alongside local communities to protect and restore freshwater habitats across the UK. Citizen science plays a vital role in the Freshwater Renaissance Programme, helping us connect people with nature while gathering essential data to support river restoration.
Learn more about Big River Watch
Visit our data dashboard to explore all the information collected by citizen scientists across our Big River Watch events.