Our Stour

River Officer

The KSCP River Officer is responsible for coordinating river-based education sessions, community river cleans, and citizen scientist water quality monitoring, as well as pursuing river restoration opportunities in the catchment.

Aqua Lab

AquaLab is an exciting opportunity for children to participate in an environmental education programme focusing on rivers. We can deliver hands on sessions where students can learn about rivers, their habitats and wildlife, pollution, the water cycle, and much more. Over the last 3 years we have delivered river themed education sessions to over 1,200 students! All our staff are DBS checked and have years of experience working with children and youth. River Officer Hallie graduated from the University of Kent with an MSc in 2023. Hallie works with volunteers along the River Stour, however, working with students is Hallie’s favourite part of the role. Partnership Officer Lucy started as a Volunteer at KSCP and is now an employed member of staff who enjoys running the education sessions alongside Hallie.

Below are a list of topics that can be included as part of the AquaLab programme:
• River Dipping: learn about the creatures that call the River Stour their home through river dipping and identification activities. For KS2 and KS3 students this can be developed into an invertebrate survey allowing us to assess the health of the river from invertebrate populations. (KS1, KS2 & KS3)
• Food Chains and Webs: look at where different living things get their nutrients and energy from. This is an excellent way to see just how much wildlife there is in a river habitat by creating many food chains and forming them into a large food web. (KS1 &KS2)
• The Stour Study: learn about the course of the river Stour from its source to its mouth, focusing on river and landscape features as well as discussing the river’s history. (KS2 & KS3)
• Habitats along the Stour: discussing different environments which can be found alongside the river including urban areas, woodlands, marshes and agricultural land. We will look at the wildlife found in each area, the impact of the river on different habitats and threats each environment face. (KS1 & KS2)
• River Experiments: provides the opportunity to look at the width, depth and speed of flow of the river as well as the pH and chemical levels in the water. (KS2 & KS3)
• Water Cycle: learning about how the water we see in the river arrived there and where it goes after it flows out to sea. This topic can be developed further to look at how soil and rock types can impact of infiltration rates. Developed in association with South East Water and Southern Water. (KS2 & KS3)
• Pollution: like many of our ecosystems, rivers are being degraded. One of the main issues for the River Stour is pollution. This topic will cover the harm litter causes and how to correctly dispose of rubbish as well as how more chemicals are entering the water. (KS1, KS2 & KS3)
• Bespoke Sessions: If you have a topic that is not on the list above or would like to collaborate with Our Stour on other river related subjects, please get in touch!
• Repeat Surveys/Series of sessions: If you are interested in participating in a series of sessions, we would be keen to arrange this. This might include river dipping surveys at different times of year or participating in a range of the topics listed above.

All sessions are free of charge thanks to our funders. For Aqua lab education session bookings please email Lucy or Hallie

River Litter Picks

Are you interested in keeping the Great Stour and its tributaries litter-free? Join us for one of our monthly river litter picks in Canterbury, Ashford, or at another site along the Stour. KSCP provides all the necessary equipment, all we need is your help! Litter picks are scheduled along the riverbanks from November to July, when river levels are higher and fish may be spawning. However, from Mid-July to the end of October, our litter picks can take place inside the channel using waders. No experience is required.

We also offer corporate team-building sessions and litter picks & pollution presentations for schools.

To sign-up for our litter pick mailing list or to learn more about corporate or school volunteer sessions, email Hallie

River Fly

Riverfly Monitoring helps us alert the EA of major pollution incidents and collect baseline data about invertebrates in the rivers. Volunteer Riverfly monitors conduct monthly invertebrate surveys at 15+ sites along the Stour and its tributaries, by doing a 3-minute kick sample of the riverbed. Interested volunteers will receive training in invertebrate identification and survey methods; it is the perfect opportunity for someone interested in conservation. Once trained, the commitment is approximately 2-3 hours per month to conduct your Riverfly survey and upload your data to the national database, where it will be used to inform river future restoration projects.

River Wardens

The River Warden scheme is the ideal opportunity for volunteers who would like to help monitor the health of the river, in a casual and self-directed format. River Wardens ‘adopt’ a section of river and walk it regularly (we recommend once a month), providing a short online report of any wildlife, pollution, or invasive species they see. This is ideal for someone who likes volunteering on their own time and is looking for a casual commitment.

Stour Charter – Friend of the Kentish Stour

KSCP and the Canterbury District Biodiversity Network have partnered on a community-led initiative called the Friends of the Kentish Stour, which is a working group of concerned individuals and organisations that are uniting to seek advice and gather information, raise awareness, and mobilise communities in support of the river. Their motivation is to help increase the long-term protection of the Kentish Stour, the wildlife it supports, and to recognise the desire of communities for clean and healthy local rivers, through the creation of a Charter.

There is a newsletter for those who would like to be kept updated about the project.

To get involved in the working group or to sign up for the newsletter, email Hallie

If you would like to have a River Rights Charter brainstorming session for your school or at a community event, please get in touch.

Funders

Our Stour is possible thanks to funding from our project sponsors: The Environment Agency, Kent County Council, Southern Water, and South East Water.