River Char Community Project

Length of river testing
We are working closely with Wessex Water and have been running regular water quality tests along the length of the River Char since June 2024. They cover: 
  • Ammonia - a good indicator of pollution from farmyard slurry
  • E. coli and Enterococci - good indicators of pollution that can be dangerous to human health for anyone swimming/playing in the river
  • Glyphosate - a widely used herbicide
  • Nitrate - a good indicator of arable pollution (from fertiliser)
  • Phosphate - a good indicator of pollution from animal sources (livestock or human)
…as well as Mercury, Glyphosate, Cypermethrin (an insecticide used widely on farms), forever chemicals, Nitrogen and several others.

Come and hear the preliminary results at our meeting on 7th February at Wootton Fitzpaine Village Hall - 7pm.  ​

Meanwhile, below are the Westcountry CSI test results for the River Char for 2023 - see the full pdf here

Read the Jan. 2024 newsletter of the Upper Char Community Project

​Read the January 2023 newsletter of the River Char Community Project.

Here's a video of the Green Party's Baroness Jenny Jones's visit to Lyme Regis to learn more about pollution in our rivers.

What can I do to help clean up and restore the River Char?

River Char Community Project
Clean, Revive, Restore
See a 2-page briefing on the project


​You can check back here for updates and more details. Or we can send you occasional news and updates about the project. (Email our clerk, Tamsin, and ask to be added to the River Char email list.)
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  • River Monitoring: We are continuing to support the 10 local residents who undertake Riverfly monitoring in the River Char
 
  • We had a display at the Charmouth Dragon River Festival (part of Charmouth's campaign to clean up the Lower stretch of the River Char) and took a full part in their main event in May 2023. See details here. 
 
  • We held an update with talks by specialist speakers at Wootton Fitzpaine village hall in February 2023
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  • Get to know the river: We held a farm walk led by Ian Rees (Dorset AONB), Nick Gray (Dorset Wildlife Trust) and the landowner at Babers Farm on 18th May 2023
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  • We have prepared a leaflet to help residents to look after their septic tanks better. See it here.
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  • Saturday 25th November 2023 (10am-3pm) Natural Flood Management working party session at Babers Farm. Full Details.

Project Background

​For most of their journey to the sea, the River Char and its tributaries flow through the parishes of Wootton and Whitchurch.

So Char Valley Parish Council (which includes these parishes) commissioned Dorset AONB and Dorset Wildlife Trust teams (using grants + Parish Council resources) to do a snapshot study of the River Char. This report is now published (Dec. 2021). It gives us a picture of the health of the river, identifies problems and points the way to a comprehensive river improvement plan.

In Phase 2 of the River Char Community Project, we are working with Dorset AONB to put their improvement plan into action. 

The 7 main strands of this work are:
  • Monitoring
  • Habitat improvement & restoration
  • Invasive species control
  • Research & survey
  • Community engagement
  • Agricultural land management change
  • Natural Flood Management
See more details of each of these topics here.

2023 River Char Project: Events

On 14th September 2023 there was a two and a half hour walk/tour of Louma (formerly Spence Farm) in Wootton Fitzpaine, with some of their key staff available to talk and answer questions about their plans and the methods they're using in relation to farming/trees/vines/bees etc.​
On Wednesday 19th July we ran a Himalayan Balsam Clearance Party at Stockham Bridge, Gassons Lane, Whitchurch Canonicorum, with Dorset AONB's Ian Rees​
On Saturday 27th May 2023 we helped organise  the Charmouth River Dragon Festival with a procession, community celebration and stand at the exhibition in St Andrew's Hall, Charmouth.​​
On Friday 24th February, 2023 we organised:

Focus on Farming, Faeces and Fleas
Three 15-minute talks (plus Q&As) on: 
Delivering for nature on the farm – find out what work's being done with farmers in the Char Valley and what more can be achieved ~ Nick Gray, Dorset Wildlife Trust & Ian Rees, Dorset AONB

The unseen impact on river life caused by dogs' flea collars and insecticide treatments used on other animals – find out what you can do ~ John Kenward (retired veterinary surgeon) 

The unseen impact on the river and the wider environment of poorly managed septic tanks – find out how to look after yours ~  Tom Beels, Burrow Environmental
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2021/2022 River Char Project: Events

We launched the River Char Community Project on 11th Dec. 2021 at Becklands Organic Farm ​
  • On Saturday 12th February, we held a first ‘daylighting’ working party (to clear a section of the river and its banks).
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  • On Saturday 12th March, we held a second river restoration and bat-box making session with Dorset AONB and Dorset Wildlife Trust at Befferlands Farm. We had a great turn-out and got some good clearance work done along a stretch of the river.
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  • Friday 29th April, we held a Riverfly training day for ten residents with Angus Menzies of ​Dorset Wildlife Trust in Wootton Fitzpaine.
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  • Wednesday 15th June we organised, with Dorset AONB, Dorset Wildlife Trust and FWAG, a walk along the River Char at Northay Farm - featuring  soils and herbal lays. (There's a great interview with James Fuller of Northay Farm online. James and Mel are actively allowing natural processes to take place on their farm but it's not a rewilding project. Listen to the interview - and see photos of the farm - here.)
 
  • On Thursday 21st July we organised, with Dorset AONB, Dorset Wildlife Trust, a Himalayan Balsam Clearance Party at Stockham Bridge on Gassons (Watery) Lane.
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  • On Saturday 15th October, we held a Farm Walk at Crabbs Bluntshay Farm led by Nick Gray and Sylvia Creed-Castle.
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  • On Saturday 19th Nov, 10am - 1pm: we held a walk, talk and working party on the River Char at New House Farm, Broadoak. ​

Technical documents

​River Char Community Project documents

Read more about sewage and other pollution in the lower River Char

Read the full River Char Report commissioned by your Parish Council from Dorset AONB - published Dec 2021

Read the summary report published in Char Chat Dec. 2021

Map of the River Char Catchment
The River Char and Monkton Wyld Stream Catchment
Is my river fit to play in? Check the online map at the Rivers Trust
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Watch BBC Panorama'a 'The River Pollution Scandal'
(In 2020 the water companies pumped raw sewage into English rivers for a total of over 3million hours)

​Read The Guardian's article - Britain oozes sewage

ITV News: Dorset's River Lim now 'ecologically dead' after sewage spillages, campaigners say. Details here

You can watch the AONB film that launched the River Char Community Project in summer 2021 below:

Project Funding

We are currently putting together the action programme for the next twelve months which we expect to be finalised in April. We hope to publish an update on the financing of the project then. 

For the financial year 2021/22, Dorset AONB, working in partnership with DWT and FWAG, secured funding for the River Char Community Project from:
  • ‘Greening West Dorset’s Hills and Vales’, a Green Recovery Challenge Fund project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund & Defra.  
  • West Dorset Rivers & Streams delivery, a Water Environment Improvement Fund project from the Environment Agency. 
 
Activity supported through this funding (some, but not all of it, in the River Char catchment) included:
  • Approximately 200m of river restoration at 4 sites. 
  • Engagement with farmers to address practices impacting the water environment.  
  • The Project launch event – 35 members of the public attended (11/12/2021)
  • Herbal ley site visit – (14/12/2021)
  • Community Q&A – 37 members of the community attended (17/01/2022)
  • Farm finance workshop – 6 farms represented (19/01/2021)
  • Volunteer sessions x 2 – 12/02/2022 & 26/02/2022
  • Project management / planning / reporting etc.
  • Support for Riverfly training
  • Follow up advice and support to farms after the farm finance workshop 

Background documents

For comparison: