<![CDATA[River Char Action Group

<![CDATA[River Char Action Group - Blog]]>Mon, 23 Feb 2026 22:50:40 +0000Weebly<![CDATA[In Praise of Rivers]]>Fri, 31 Oct 2025 15:25:17 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/in-praise-of-rivers

Look out for the amazing 'In Praise of Rivers' - a book bringing together paintings and other artwork, poetry and prose, all dedicated to the rivers that run through our land. Edited by Katharine Roberts, it's a feast.

]]><![CDATA[funding success!]]>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 20:51:36 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/funding-successWe're delighted to report that our application to Dorset Community Foundation for a grant from the Wessex Water Community Fund has been successful.

DCF and Wessex Water have been a huge source of help to our project (with Wessex Water continuing to test our water samples fortnightly at their own expense).

]]><![CDATA[A big step forward with our charter]]>Fri, 18 Jul 2025 20:49:16 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/a-big-step-forward-with-our-charterThank you to everyone who came to the 'Rivers of Hope' workshops on 15th and 16th July - organised by Tracy Bell-Reeves and led by Josh Levene.

Our overall aim was to mobilise communities and key stakeholders to begin developing a Rights of Nature approach for their river.

Participants came from organisations like Dorchester Town Council, Devon County Council, Somerset Rivers Authority, the Brit Valley Project and Dorset Wildlife Trust. The rivers they spoke for included:

The Asker
The Axe
The Bride
The Brit
The Char
The Frome
The Lim
The Otter
The Piddle
The Sid
The Simene

We learnt about the idea of Rights for Rivers and explored how to take it forward. We plan further meetings with these local rivers and also discussions with Dorset Councillors about how to ensure that our Charter has maximum impact at Dorset Council.

If you'd like to be involved in any way, please contact Andrew Carey: andrew@westhay.com]]><![CDATA[bad news on biobeads]]>Wed, 25 Jun 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/bad-news-on-biobeadsNews just in from Ali Ferris at Charmouth Heritage Coast Centre:

I have been working with Philip Strange to ascertain where some new larger black bio beads might be coming from that we have found washed up in Charmouth in the last 6-12months. I collected and sent samples off to Plymouth University and this is what has come back……

“I have finally heard from Dr Turner at Plymouth about the pellets you collected and sent to him. He found that the small and large pellets had very similar profiles of trace elements (lead and bromine), similar to other small black biobeads he has analysed and probably made from recycled electronic waste. The blue pellets showed copper only and this probably reflects the blue pigmentation.

The results fit well with the idea that the large pellets are made for SWW from recycled small black ones and suggest that the large biobeads you see at Charmouth are coming from SWW sewage plants (either overall carelessness or a spill). SWW have still not given me the information I requested about the large beads, I will chase them up again.”
]]><![CDATA[River char charter launched]]>Thu, 15 May 2025 00:00:00 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/river-char-charter-launchedWe've published our Charter for the River Char. It's a first step towards getting the rights of river acknowledged:

Clean water flowing freely - through its cycle of cloud, rain river and sea - is essential for all life. Our river is a living system. While its banks and bed are privately owned, its
health is entrusted to us all. We all share the benefits that our river brings and we all share responsibility for it.

We, the people who love this place, name ourselves stewards of the River Char. We affirm the rights of the river and its tributaries:

To be alive and to thrive
To be clean and unpolluted
To give life and enjoyment to the whole valley and enable nature to flourish
To have legal guardians to act on its behalf

You can sign the charter online here. Please do!
]]><![CDATA[Good News on Biobeads]]>Wed, 22 Jan 2025 20:22:19 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/good-news-on-biobeadsNew partnership closes the loop for hundreds of tonnes of plastic bio-beads, headed for landfill.

Thanks to Philip Strange for spotting this item about a plan to recycle South West Water's biobeads]]><![CDATA[Pollution in the River Char]]>Sat, 04 Jan 2025 18:27:30 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/pollution-in-the-river-char

]]><![CDATA[How to get involved with your local river project…]]>Mon, 16 Sep 2024 21:57:38 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/how-to-get-involved-with-your-local-river-projectHow to Get Involved with the River Char Project
Weds 16th October, 7-9.30pm, Village Hall (Wesley Close) Charmouth
All welcome!

How to get involved with your local river project…
For our River Dragon Festival next year, we need people to help:

organise, join in and publicise the Festival
contribute paintings, photographs, stories, memories, songs
work on costumes and the dragon itself
liaise with local schools and organisations

For our campaign to clean up the River Char, we need people to help:

be River Guardians (walking the river, collecting information with iNaturalist)
monitor mink on the river and, eventually, reintroduce water voles
support river ecosystems by removing Himalayan Balsam from the banks
draft and agree a River Charter

Please come along on 16th October to hear short talks about all these things, find out how you can help, share your skills and experience, sign up to work with us. Everyone is really welcome to this community meeting.
Please join us!
Lower Char Community Project
Contact us: rivercharmonitoring@gmail.com

]]><![CDATA[Join us for a river mouth walk ...... and Max redwood's finished River Dragon film]]>Tue, 16 Jul 2024 22:27:26 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/join-us-for-a-river-mouth-walk-and-max-redwoods-finished-river-dragon-filmCelebrating the River Char - 7th August 2024

Wednesday 7th August, 5pm : A circular walk around the last half mile of the River Char, with short talks on water testing and water voles, poetry and even a river dance. Join us at 5pm at the Village Hall in Wesley Close, Charmouth.
Wednesday 7th August, 7pm : Come and see Max Redwood's film celebrating our community project and last year's River Dragon Festival + Howard Atkinson on water voles and a community effort to support water voles on the River Asker, which could come to the Char soon. Join us at 7pm at the Village Hall in Wesley Close, Charmouth.

]]><![CDATA[Please minister]]>Sat, 02 Mar 2024 22:02:05 GMThttps://www.riverchar.org/blog/please-ministerOn 29th Feb 2024 we explained to Robbie Moore, the Government Minister for Water and Rural Growth, in person, during his visit to Charmouth with Chris Loder MP, our campaign to get the Environment Agency to re-start monitoring of the lagoons at Charmouth and Seatown. He took away a written copy.]

Read our press release
Read our ministerial briefing
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