Wessex Chalk Streams Project (WCSP)

The Wessex Chalk Streams Project (WCSP) ran from 1999 to 2020. The partnership project, led by Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and strongly supported by Natural England, Wessex Water, Environment Agency, Wessex Chalk Stream & Rivers Trust and the Wiltshire Fishery Association. The WCSP is working to restore sections of the Hampshire Avon and its tributaries within Wiltshire. One of Europe’s finest chalk streams, the River Avon is a unique and fragile habitat and is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) Special Area of Conservation (SAC).

Working with volunteers and specialist contractors, the WCSP delivers a number of large and small scale projects each year. We can also provide expert advice to fishing clubs, river keepers and landowners to encourage best practice in river management.

Projects completed during 2019 and 2020 include:

Western Arm Phase 2
Mill hatches bypass on the Upper Avon
Habitat improvement works and gravel introduction on the Upper Avon
Habitat improvement works on the Upper Avon above Enford
Habitat improvement on the River Nadder at Tisbury
Bank protection works on the River Wylye near Warminster
Invasive Non-Native Species control and management
Garden Meets Rivers Edge
River Fly Monitoring
Biosecurity workshops and awareness

Latest

Mammals of Coombe Bissett Down: grey squirrel

Oliver Davies, with the assistance of a trail camera, has spent the last two months exploring the lives of the reserve's more elusive mammals. In this blog post, we discover more about the reserve's grey squirrels.
Mammals of Coombe Bissett Down: Fox

Oliver Davies, with the assistance of a trail camera, has spent the last two months exploring the lives of the reserve's more elusive mammals. In this blog post, we discover more about the reserve's foxes.
Care Farms

Care farms provide a supervised, structured programme of farming-related activities. Contact with nature has a powerful role to play in helping those with learning disabilities, mental ill-health, Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC), and social and communication difficulties.
The Willows Care Farm

Following on from the success of Lakeside Care Farm, we recently expanded with a second care farm, called The Willows Care Farm, which opened its doors to students in November thanks to generous donations to our appeal.

South West wide - Biosecurity Awareness

We are working with RAPID LIFE, a three-year project (2017-2020) piloting innovative approaches to IAS management in freshwater aquatic, riparian and coastal environments across England.
Bristol Avon - Semington Brook and Worton Stream

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is working to engage with landowners to help to deliver a number of restoration projects along the course of the Semington Brook and Worton Stream.
Hampshire Avon - Nadder NFM

We are working with Wessex Chalk Stream and Rivers Trust (WCSRT) and the Environment Agency on a Natural Flood Management (NFM) on the upper headwaters of the River Nadder.
Hampshire Avon - Western Arm

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is working with Wessex Water and local landowners to restore the upper reaches of the Hampshire Avon, in the western arm of the river between Devizes and Rushall.