Transforming the Trent Valley is a landscape partnership scheme, funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund between 2019 and 2023. Made up of 19 organisations in delivery and supporting roles, the partnership worked in the Trent, Dove and Tame river valleys in East Staffordshire and South Derbyshire to connect people to the landscape, improve access to the local environment and improve the river channels and floodplains to improve biodiversity and river habitats.
Support Staffordshire were the delivery partner for three projects within the scheme; Community Engagement/Community Grants, Big Washlands Watch, and Tales of the Riverbank.
Over 50 small grants were awarded to community groups in the area, amounting to £100,000. These grants helped to create outdoor learning spaces in schools, community gardens, volunteer opportunities, activities for local people to explore the River Trent, and much more. Find out more: www.thetrentvalley.org.uk/take-part/community-grants-updates/
Over 40 ‘Wildlife Recording Volunteers’ created more than 17,000 wildlife records for the scheme area, contributing to our understanding of the wildlife in the area. 48 training courses and events were held, helping to improve skills and knowledge about wildlife in the Trent Valley. More than 1400 school children also learnt to record wildlife in their school grounds. Find out more: www.thetrentvalley.org.uk/resources/wildlife-recording/
Three youth groups helped to create films about the River Trent in Rugeley, Burton and Willington, filming visual and audio clips of the River Trent, and interviewing residents about life along the Trent Valley.
Find out more: www.thetrentvalley.org.uk/projects/tales-from-the-river-bank/
