First Success for Fish in Need (FIN)

[Thomas Turner]

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust – The River Og​

Many of you will have heard of the fledging charity Fish in Need. Thomas Turner have supported the charity and I am a trustee along with our Chair, Simon Clark and Professor Mark Everard, John Bailey, Paul Whitehouse and my daughter Kirsty Hewitt.

We are a small charity albeit with larger ambitions and I am delighted to advise that our first project has been completed. This cements our determination to do as much as we can for projects that improve the habitats of our waters for fish and other wildlife.

The River Og is an important tributary of the River Kennet and is a nursery/safe space for fish to breed and grow. It feeds, complements and supports the water levels and fish stocks in the main river. We were approached by the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust to provide essential funding to enable their project to undertake restoration works specifically at their Bay Meadows nature reserve.

More details are provided in the following quote from the Trust:

“Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is grateful for the contribution from FIN (Fish In Need) to undertake in-channel habitat restoration work to improve the River Og, which runs through our new Bay Meadows nature reserve near Marlborough. This contribution has enabled us to install 5 complex woody debris flow deflectors and create two large wetland scrapes, with the help of 18 volunteers and match funded grants from The Hills Group and National Lottery Heritage Fund. These actions will improve the functioning of this important chalk river headwater for the benefit of brown trout and bullheads, as well as a rich diversity of wildlife including water voles, kingfishers, invertebrates such as dragonflies, caddis and freshwater shrimps, and plant species such as Ranunculus (water crowfoot) and water cress.”

To have helped the completion of this project is a great stepping stone for us to put together a portfolio of projects where our funding and expertise/advice can be beneficial. Please look at our website at www.fishinneed.org.uk or watch this short video by Paul Whitehouse and John Bailey explaining the basic goals. https://www.fishinneed.org.uk/about

Please do not hesitate to contact us or make an enquiry via the FIN website if you have a project that could benefit from our financial or advisory input.

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