Dry-stone walling is a traditional craft that has been practiced for centuries, with some walls in the UK dating back over a thousand years. Built without mortar, these walls rely on careful placement and interlocking stones for stability. They have long been used to mark boundaries, manage livestock, and protect crops from wind and erosion. Today, they remain an important feature of rural landscapes, offering both practical benefits and cultural heritage value.

Last night, we hosted our inaugural River Summit at Pontio in Bangor, and what an incredible evening it was! The event featured a diverse lineup of engaging talks, exploring both the challenges our rivers face and the inspiring efforts making a difference.

The Llyn Peninsula is an area full of agricultural heritage which continues to this day. The North Wales Rivers Trust is now working to partner with local farmers on the Llyn to safeguard its waterways. Our current focus is on tackling excessive poaching which is riverbank erosion caused by livestock repeatedly entering the river along the Afon Soch.

2024 was an incredible year for the North Wales Rivers Trust! Check out some of our key achievements in our 2024 Impact Report below.

Building a log pile otter holt.

Over the past nine months the North Wales Rivers Trust (NWRT) welcomed two interns to the team, providing valuable industry experience in river conservation, restoration, and community engagement.

As part of our ongoing efforts under Project Swimways, we recently carried out a tree planting event along the Afon Braint, with a focus on improving river habitats and supporting migratory fish patterns. The event was made even more special by the enthusiastic participation of Bangor University students, who joined us during Undeb's volunteering week

We recently had the exciting opportunity to run a story-making workshop with Year 1 & 2 pupils at Ysgol Waunfawr for Prosiect Torgoch. The children were full of creativity as they worked together to bring the story of the torgoch to life!

As part of our Floating Wetland project, funded by local nature partnerships, we recently carried out an exciting study to assess the ecological impact of our wetlands at Llyn Maelog, Rhosneigr, and Llyn Penrhyn, RAF Valley.

The North Wales Rivers Trust is excited to announce its inaugural River Summit. This event aims to unite innovative thinkers, wild water enthusiasts, passionate academics, and river lovers to shape the future of North Wales' rivers.

As part of our Living Sea Walls project, we’ve had the pleasure of delivering hands-on workshops to primary schools near the Menai Strait. These sessions are all about connecting young people to their local marine environment and sparking curiosity about how we can better coexist with nature.

Arctic Charr (Salvelinus alpinus) are remarkable fish that thrive in the cold, clear waters of Llyn Padarn. However, like many species, their spawning behaviors are vulnerable to environmental changes. While Afon y Bala is a well-documented spawning site, the role of other tributaries has remained unclear.

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the Clwyd INNS Project, an exciting initiative focused on managing invasive non-native species (INNS) in the upper section of the Afon Clwyd, from Clocaneog Forest to Ruthin.

At the North Wales Rivers Trust, our mission is to protect and enhance the conditions for all life that depends on rivers—because, in truth, all life depends on rivers.

Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus), known locally as "Torgoch" due to the vibrant red-orange hues of their spawning males, are one of North Wales’ most iconic yet elusive freshwater fish. Found in only a handful of deep, cold lakes across the UK, these remarkable fish have become a symbol of conservation efforts in our region.

Join us on February 4th for an evening monitoring session as part of the Floating Wetland Project where we will be using microscopes to count zooplankton.

Today, key updates on water bills for households in Wales and England have been released as part of the 2024 Price Review conducted by Ofwat, the regulator for water services. These changes, will have significant implications for water customers across Wales.

Last week, we hosted our first ‘Spot the Spawning’ event at known spawning sites near Llyn Padarn, as part of our ongoing Torgoch project, funded by the Heritage Lottery. Volunteers joined us for 15-minute surveys just before dusk, hoping to catch a glimpse of spawning fish.

Last week's Otter ecology training in Trawsfynydd with ecologists Grace Crabb and Geoff Liles was a great success. It was an honour to be given a presentation about otter surveying by otter specialist Geoff Liles who has been conducting surveys for forty years of his career and has recently completed a survey of the whole of Wales.

The North Wales Rivers Trust recently conducted a walkover survey of a tributary of the Afon Braint in Ynys Mon. During this survey, several potential sources of pollution were identified. These included agricultural runoff from livestock farms, riverbank erosion (poaching) caused by animals, and man-made structures like culverts that can disrupt natural water flow and habitat conditions.