🌿 Balsam Bashing in Durham City We have recently been out with volunteers at Durham Amateur Rowing Club helping to tackle Himalayan balsam, a fast-growing invasive plant that poses a serious threat to our riverbanks. 🌸 Although it may look attractive, Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) spreads rapidly, outcompeting native plants and leaving riverbanks bare and unstable once it dies back in winter. This leads to increased erosion, sedimentation in the river, and loss of habitat for local wildlife. 💧 A big thank you to everyone who joined us to help make a difference along the River Wear! 👏 Please note: our planned event on 21st July at The Story has unfortunately been cancelled. 👀 Keep your eyes peeled for more upcoming opportunities to get involved in local conservation work — we’d love to see you there! #WearRiversTrust #BalsamBashing #InvasiveSpecies #DurhamCity #RiverRestoration #VolunteerWithUs #RiverWear #ProtectOurRivers (fb)

End of Academic Year Reflections – Wear Rivers Trust Education Team 🌿📚 As the school year comes to a close, the Wear Rivers Trust Education Team would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to all the schools, educators, and community groups we’ve had the pleasure of working with throughout the academic year. 👏 From the uplands of Weardale to the coastline of Sunderland, we’ve engaged with hundreds of children across the Wear catchment, delivering hands-on, place-based learning experiences that connect young people with the natural world around them. Whether through river studies, rock pooling, biodiversity surveys, or in-classroom sessions, we’ve aimed to bring the environment to life and inspire the next generation of environmental stewards. 💧 It’s been a privilege to help foster curiosity, awareness, and understanding of our local landscapes and river systems. We’re immensely proud of the enthusiasm and passion we’ve seen in the young people we’ve worked with, and we look forward to continuing this important work from September. 🍂 Until then, we wish all students, teachers, and families a safe, restful, and nature-filled summer break. ☀🌊🌳 "If we don’t teach children about nature, they will not understand it. And if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it." — Sir David Attenborough #WearRiversTrust #EnvironmentalEducation #OutdoorLearning #RiverCatchment #EducationOutsideTheClassroom #NatureMatters #weareducating #wearconserving (fb)