Natural England

Bring all the family down to Laverstock Sports and Social Club on Saturday July 19th at 3pm for an action packed fun day.

Wildlife experts from STREAM, Living River and the Laverstock and Ford Downland & Watermeadow Trust will be getting their feet wet and demonstrating some of the wonders of wildlife on the river between 3.00-5.00pm. Children will have a chance to try river dipping, an underwater investigation on the River Bourne, take part in a nature trail, have a go at magnetic fishing and try to win at the ever popular game of racing pooh sticks.

The Sports and Social Club will be raising money for charity – try your luck at the grand raffle, welly throwing, tombola, beat the goal keeper and a bouncy castle. A barbecue, cake stalls and an outdoor bar will be running throughout the day, and bring your dancing shoes for the kids disco from 7-11pm. All the proceeds will be donated to the Naomi House Children’s Hospice which provides care for terminally ill children and their families.

STREAM project manager Jenny Wheeldon said: “The fun day is a great opportunity to see some of the amazing wildlife that lives in Laverstock, and to raise money for a very good cause.”

The STREAM project is restoring lost habitat in the River Avon and Avon Valley for rare fish, birds and plants. The Living River Project and the Trust aim to show people how the special wildlife of the river system developed alongside the history of the local area.

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Notes to editors

1. The Laverstock Sports and Social Club is located at The Dell, Church Road, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1TQ. The Club provides social and leisure facilities for the Laverstock area, including active football and rugby teams for all ages, and a bar area. The fun day will run from 3.00pm-11.00pm.

2. For further information about Wet and Wild Family Fun Day and the STREAM project, please contact:
Jenny Wheeldon, STREAM project manager: Tel: 01380 737023 / 07909 532532 or email: jenny.wheeldon@naturalengland.org.uk. For more information on the STREAM project visit www.streamlife.org.uk

3. The STREAM project

STREAM is a £1 million conservation project centred on the River Avon and the Avon Valley in Wiltshire and Hampshire. The project began in September 2005. STREAM:

• demonstrates and monitor river restoration at six sites, covering 7km
• links management of the lower reaches of the river with the floodplain
• disseminates best practice to UK and European river managers and specialists
• undertakes public open days to raise awareness of the river system and the project in the local community.

STREAM is supported financially by the European Commission’s LIFE-Nature fund. Project partners Natural England, the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and Wessex Water have also committed funding and support.

4. The Living River

The Living River project aims to increase awareness and appreciation of the River Avon and its tributaries. The project will run for four years from 2006-2010 and delivers the following programmes:

• biodiversity restoration - at sites the public can access and enjoy
• access and Interpretation - enhancing access to and information about the river with the local communities that live there
• education and training - providing education events and resources and offering training opportunities to help people understand their relationship with the river system and take responsibility for it.

The Living River project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Natural England, Salisbury District Council, Salisbury International Arts Festival, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, Hampshire County Council, Wessex Water and Environment Agency.

5. The Laverstock and Ford Downlands and Watermeadows Trust

The Trust is a growing group of local people who care about the wildlife, historic and landscape value of Laverstock’s open spaces and access to them. For more information contact David Burton Tel: 01722 415256 / 07702 719103 or e-mail david.burton82@btinternet.com

6. The River Avon and Avon Valley

The River Avon and its major tributaries are some of the finest chalk rivers in Europe and support a wide range of fish, bird, mammal and plant species. The river system is protected as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for the river habitat as characterised by water crowfoot, and populations of Atlantic salmon, bullhead, brook and sea lamprey, and Desmoulin’s whorl snail. It also supports important biodiversity action plan species and habitats such as otter, water vole, wet woodland and reed beds.

The Avon Valley includes one of the largest expanses of unimproved floodplain grazing marsh in Britain and is designated as a Special Protection Area (SPA) for gadwall and Bewick’s swan. The floodplain grazing marsh supports a complex mosaic of wetland habitats, breeding waders and wintering wildfowl.

7. Natural England works for people, places and nature with responsibility for enhancing biodiversity, landscapes and wildlife in rural, urban, coastal and marine areas; promoting access, recreation and public well being, and contributing to the way natural resources are managed - so they can be enjoyed now and for future generations