West Cumbria Rivers Trust

🎉 We're halfway there!

Thanks to the incredible efforts of our volunteers, we've now reached 50% of our Himalayan balsam bashing target.

Every plant pulled helps protect our rivers and creates more space for native wildlife to flourish. Together, we're aiming to prevent 132,000 Himalayan balsam plants from growing next year and stop around 33 million seeds from spreading across the catchment.

Want to help us get the rest of the way?

Join us for the next 'Pull Together' balsam bash, our series of free public drop-in sessions delivered in partnership with Jennings Brewery.

📅 Wed 8 July 2026
🕙 10am to 3pm
📍 Foulsyke, Loweswater
📍 What3Words: ///goose.times.dumplings
📍 Grid reference: NY 14351 21124

Find out more: https://www.jenningsbrewery.co.uk/pages/wcrt-x-jennings-pull-together

Whether you're a seasoned balsam basher or giving it a go for the first time, come along when you can. Every pair of hands makes a difference, and together we can help our rivers thrive. You get a free drink from the Jennings tap room afterwards as a reward and can even try their specially brewed Balsam Basher - created just for the ocassion!

Some great photos from Eaglesfield Paddle Church of England Primary Academy 💦 Thanks for sharing 🙂

A river given room to breathe. 🌿🐟

We've just finished the final piece of a river restoration project on a tributary of St John's Beck, completing livestock fencing that will help protect the site for years to come.

Working with a local farmer, we lowered embankments, removed sections of old bank reinforcement giving it more space to move naturally. We also created a new side channel, following the river's historic course and creating valuable habitat for wildlife.

Thanks to the hard work of local volunteers, native trees and wildflowers are now taking root across the site too.

The best bit? Juvenile salmon, trout and aquatic invertebrates have already been recorded in the new channel, an encouraging sign that nature is responding.

Delivered in partnership with United Utilities, Environment Agency & Natural England

Catch our leader Jodie Mills speaking on BBC Radio Cumbria early this morning about water quality, following reports of several people being taken ill after swimming in the River Derwent this week (listen from 1:20 in)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002y0l6