A group of 10 very enthusiastic village volunteers met over two weekends by Swan Lane Bridge in early November. With the years of overgrown vegetation now cut back the extent of the bank erosion was visible. Their first task was to hammer in two rows of Chestnut stakes against each bank and place faggots between them to stabilise the banks.
The following week the volunteers moved large quantities of silt onto the banks behind the faggots and filled buckets with 40 mm stone and 20 mm gravel to create a berm. This has redirected the main flow through the culvert by the far side bank and created an area of slower water for the invertebrates on the near side.
In the spring of 2025 the volunteers will add extra plants to help bind and maintain the banks and sow wild flower seeds in the grass area next to the river.
