”The River Glaven is a real gem, a small, but particularly special river.
Its upper waters have the clarity and gentle charm of a Hampshire chalk stream, while it enters the sea through the wide skies and bird rich mudflats of Blakeney harbour. With so much variety and wild beauty in a relatively short distance, the Glaven really deserves to be well looked after”.

Alastair Fothergill
(head of BBC Natural History Unit and producer of “The Blue Planet”)

The River Glaven Conservation Group (RGCG) was formed in 1999 and is composed of local naturalists, scientists, fishermen and landowners, and people who are lovers of the valley, all of whom are concerned about the well-being of this beautiful Norfolk river and its tributaries.

The aims of the group are to:

• protect the R. Glaven from pollution and degradation
• improve river water quality
• conserve and restore important habitats for wildlife within the river corridor

Over the last few years the RGCG has collated much information regarding the history, ecology and problems of the river system.

The RGCG has obtained the services of a Wild Trout Trust specialist consultant to assess a stretch of the river up stream from Letheringsett Ford. This is still a ‘good’ stretch of the river, but with restoration work has the potential to be returned to ‘excellent’.

Entry of silt into the river here is one of the factors that has affected the in-river habitat; but as a fast-flowing steeper gradient stretch it has remained less silted than the flatter parts. Other adverse impacts have been introduced by over-widening in parts and the deposition of dredging spoil to create a high bank, and disconnection of the river from the adjacent meadow.

We are currently seeking funding of £15000 for this work. This will entail silt removal from the river and replacement with areas of stone, to give riffles and oxygenation, and fine gravel to provide habitat for invertebrates and spawning fish.

In some sections hazel faggots will be set in the river to narrow it and increase the flow of water in the central part of the river bed. This helps to move on the silt that enters the river.

For parts of this area, the removal of the spoil riverbank would permit a natural interaction between river and meadow to the benefit of the flora that require wet conditions. A possible return of the snipe as a breeding bird rather than as a winter visitor may also be a result.

The Wild Trout Trust has provided £1500 of ‘Kick-Start’ funding to allow RGCG to employ a consultant to produce a detailed project design and bill of quantities. This report will used as a basis for the submission of a partnership funding bid.