2014 Conservation Awards - the winners

Thames Water — Wild Trout Trust
Conservation Awards 2014

Over 100 guests attended a Wild Trout Trust evening at the Savile Club in Mayfair to present the annual awards for the best river habitat conservation projects. The evening was introduced by WTT Director, Shaun Leonard, with the awards presented by Richard Aylard of Thames Water, who generously sponsor the Conservation Awards. 

The Conservation Awards recognise and encourage excellence in the management and conservation of wild trout habitat, celebrating the efforts, skills and ingenuity of projects carried out both by professionals and by grass roots voluntary organisations.

A dozen great projects competed for prizes this year . Click here to see all the entries. The winners are:

Professional Category, for Outstanding Habitat Enhancement Scheme. Joint winners:

River Medlock: Environment Agency/​Groundwork/​Manchester City Council

For replacing a sterile brick linedMedlock Conservation Awards team channel with wildlife habitat. More information on this propject on the BBC website here

EastridgeRiver Kennet: Eastridge Estate and Windrush AEC for a scheme on the River Kennet that included wetland meadows as well as improved in-river habitat and fish passage.

Amateur Category, for an Outstanding Contribution to Wild Trout Conservation:CFF Amateur winner
Sherborne Brook: Cotswold Fly Fishers. A combination of activities including sensitive habitat management, low cost habitat improvement and riverfly monitoring have resulted in demonstrable improvements to trout numbers as well as benefits to the wider river ecology including water voles.

Partnership category. Rivers Brun and Calder: URES project, Ribble Rivers Trust:

Ribble Conservation AwardsAn inspiring project within a heavily-developed, urban river corridor. The project has achieved a high level of community engagement as well as ecological improvement.

Wild Trout Hero Award: Marcus Walters: River Peffrey

Marcus Walters wild trout hero
Marcus has shown tremendous dedication and passion in getting things done’ with a range of partners and volunteers to tackle non-native invasive plants, improve a constrained channel and deliver improvements to wild trout populations.