Mary Green, Grove Aims: Biodiversity Improvement, Community Engagement, Reduce Flood Risk

Opportunity to improve the habitat for water vole and brown trout by managing bankside trees to reduce shading thus encouraging both marginal and instream vegetation. This would help restore river function, reduce flood risk and greatly enhance habitat at this popular public area.

Wantage Betjeman Park to the Mill Aims: Biodiversity Improvement, Reduce Flood Risk, Community Engagement

The brook at this location is heavily shaded and over-widened with a degrading artificial bank resulting in a channel that lacks natural chalk stream form and function and degraded habitat in a high-profile area of central Wantage. There could be the opportunity to replace the artificial bank with something more natural, reduce shading and regrade the banks to form a more natural channel and help reduce silt build up and reduce flood risk.

Removing Blockages to fish passage Aims: Reduce Flood Risk, Enhance Biodiversity

Man-made obstructions to flow, such as sluices, weirs and waterfalls can increase flood risk and silt deposition and obstruct movement of fish to spawning areas. Many such structures exist on Letcombe Brook and their removal would restore natural flow and improve biodiversity whilst reducing flood risk. LBP are keen to map and prioritise all such structures and work with landowners and the EA to reduce or remove structures or install alternative fish passage.

Letcombe Brook Community Nature Reserve, Aims: Community Engagement, Conserve Biodiversity

Opportunity to develop a partnership project with Grove Parish Council to create and manage a nature reserve along the banks of the Letcombe Brook in Grove in the area of a large new housing development. Creation of a Community Nature Reserve would enable residents to help care for and engage with this important green space running through their community whilst helping to protect the important wildlife that lives there.

Yellowfish Campaign Aims: Increase Awareness, Community Engagement

Opportunity to work with the Environment Agency to raise awareness of pollution caused by unsuitable materials being poured down surface water drains which often empty directly into Letcombe Brook. It is a national project that builds on an international approach based on raising awareness in local communities to reduce pollution events in local watercourses.

If you are interested in helping with any of the ongoing projects or in funding potential projects we would be very pleased to hear from you!