River’s habitat improved by volunteers

THE community group that maintains Frome’s river is back in action for spring and summer, and new volunteers are invited to join.

Frome River Action, run by Friends of River Frome, formed three years ago and is a group that tidies up and maintains the habitat along the River Frome.

After a break over the winter, the group plans to start work this week at Rodden Meadow to improve habitat for birds, fish and insects, working in conjunction with Wild Trout Trust as part of the TWIST (Transforming Waterways in  Somerset Towns) project.

Volunteer co-ordinator Simon Keyes said, “The trees need to be coppiced to improve the amount of light that can get to the river. This helps improve the habitat and health of the river, so we will carefully and gently cut back bushes and thin bankside vegetation. This will also open up better views of the waterway for local people. We will also be protecting part of the river bank from excessive erosion, and hopefully preparing the area to be planted with pollen-rich native plants later this spring.

“On Saturday 4th March, we have a river clean up happening. Following the floods, all sorts of debris has been found in the river, from trolleys to lawn mowers, and motorbikes. Once, we were clearing debris out of the river by the bridge in town and pulled out an entire dinner service set!

“Another time when we were clearing the river at Adderwell, we lifted out two tonnes of electrical cable that had been stolen and dumped in the river.

“It will be all hands to the deck because it’s a job that really needs to be done. The river really is in a bad state at the moment. We are really careful when we do the clean ups, to ensure we do not stir up any sediment. We plan to do these sorts of days once a month for the next six months.

“Anyone who wants to volunteer is welcome to join us!”

As well as cleaning up the river, the group plans to do other tasks in the area. Simon added, “We’ve got some more ambitious plans to repair the footpaths along the river but the details and dates of this are yet to be organised.”

Frome River Action Group is linked with Frome River Watch that monitors the health and hygiene of the river.

For more information or to sign up to volunteer contact Simon Keyes on, simon@onion.org.uk or telephone, 07968 440684.