Lab DWR GROUP LAUNCH NEW PROJECT

Here at the North Wales Rivers Trust, we’re delighted to share the inspiring work of Lab Dŵr Dyffryn Dyfi—a grassroots group born out of our original Lab Dŵr project, which equips communities with the skills, tools, and confidence to monitor the health of their local rivers.

Following its success, passionate volunteers in the Dyfi catchment have been expanding their water testing to include invasive species control and more.

Now, they have launched the exciting Screams and Streams project, which is asking an important question: Is there a connection between the health of our rivers and the survival of the common swift?

Running from April to July 2025, the project is a collaborative effort between Lab Dŵr Dyffryn Dyfi, the Biosphere Swifts Group, and Biosffer Dyfi, supported by funding from the Local Policy Innovation Partnership (LPIP).

Swifts, with their high-speed calls and sweeping flight, are a much-loved part of our summer skies—but their numbers are in decline. As rivers and floodplain habitats degrade, the insects they rely on become scarcer. By combining water quality monitoring with swift population surveys, this project hopes to better understand how closely these two stories are linked.

Lab Dŵr Dyffryn Dyfi volunteers are sampling water from the source of the Dyfi near Llanymawddwy down to Borth, testing for key indicators like temperature, pH and nitrates, and observing aquatic invertebrates. Meanwhile, the Biosphere Swifts Group is monitoring swift nesting, feeding behaviour, and the use of nest boxes across the valley.

If you live in the Dyfi area, we’d encourage you to get involved.