Hope Springs Eternal

Hundreds of men, women and children are helping to improve one of Lancashire’s major assets – the River Ribble

- Roger Borrell

Being confronted with a section of the River Ribble full of dead fish had a profound effect on Philip Lord. Suddenly, the Whitewell angler, from Cow Ark in Bowland, realised just how much damage pollution was still doing to the environment he loved. He decided it was time for action.

Philip and a group of other concerned fishermen set up an organisation that grew into the Ribble Rivers Trust, a charity which has spent the last 20 years helping to transform 1,600 miles of desperately polluted rivers and streams in the Ribble catchment area.

That small group has grown into one of the north’s most successful environmental groups with a staff of more than 20 and in excess of 600 volunteers – men, women and children who spend their spare time planting trees, picking litter and checking water quality and the creatures that live in it.

Great attention has also been paid to the surrounding areas with 200,000 trees planted. Oaks, alders, aspen, rowan and hazel not only help stabilise and shade river banks but also provide valuable habitat for birds and small mammals.

There have been some remarkable success stories but no one pretends the job is done. ‘We’ve been going for just 20 years but there is 500 years of damage to be undone,’ says Philip, the trust chairman. While the Industrial Revolution turned many Lancashire rivers into little more than open sewers, the 21st century has brought its own set of problems such as farm pollution and invasive species. The ever changing landscape means they can never rest.

‘There are some really great things going on,’ says Jack Spees, the trust’s chief executive. ‘We are definitely going in the right direction but it can sometimes feel like pushing water uphill!’