East Mercia Rivers Trust
Importance of Rivers
Rivers support life, they provide homes for some of the UK’s most endangered and celebrated wildlife such as water voles, otters and kingfishers. They supply drinking water, control flooding and are a much valued recreation source; from fishing to wild swimming. However, no river in England is classed as healthy, most suffer from over abstraction, pollution and biodiversity loss. Read the latest State of Our Rivers report.
About Us
East Mercia Rivers Trust (EMRT) is an independent charity formed in October 2022 following the merger of Welland Rivers Trust and Lincolnshire Rivers Trust (established 2011 and 2013 respectively).
The Kingdom of Mercia (from the Old English Mierce or Myrce, ‘People of the Marches or Boundaries’) was a state in the Midlands from the 6th century to the 10th century. Whilst its origins and history are obscure, at one time it became the most powerful of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms with its boundaries expanding to occupy much of the south of England from the Humber.
During the ‘Golden Age of Mercia’ the state included Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland; the five counties where East Mercia Rivers Trust operates. Advocating the catchment-based approach EMRT focuses on the rivers Welland and Witham catchments, which encompasses over 120 watercourses and covers a 4680 km2 area.
Our Mission: Bringing rivers back to life for nature and communities
Our Aims
Resilient Rivers Programme aims to create and protect healthy, clean, and resilient watercourses by,
- restoring and enhancing habitats,
- increasing natural water storage,
- Improving water quality,
- controlling and removing invasive species.
Rivers for Life Programme aims to inspire local communities, landowners, businesses, and recreational river-users to act for rivers by,
- building data and evidence,
- delivering educational activities and advisory services,
- improving access to nature and
- raising awareness.
Our Latest News
- Upper Witham landscape scale restoration, the latest news from Buckminster Estates
Over the last 200 years, the Upper Witham has been deepened, straightened, and disconnected from its floodplain. Installed land drains removed excess water for agriculture and grazing, but in many cases, this did not create higher grade agricultural land as… Read More »Upper Witham landscape scale restoration, the latest news from Buckminster Estates - Kibworth and Smeeton Nature Project Takes off!Works have just started on the ground to deliver the Kibworth and Smeeton Nature Project, a project that aims to create wetland habitat and improve the condition of the Langton Brook (Upper Welland), just south of the village of Smeeton… Read More »Kibworth and Smeeton Nature Project Takes off!
- Invasive Signal Crayfish Threaten Native White-Clawed Crayfish at SystonWe bring you some sobering news from the Upper Witham at Syston that has left us deeply saddened. The invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus), known for their aggressive nature, rapid breeding, and carrying the deadly ‘crayfish plague,’ have been discovered… Read More »Invasive Signal Crayfish Threaten Native White-Clawed Crayfish at Syston
