Our rivers are being polluted daily. Unfortunately, without concrete evidence, the polluters are left unchallenged. The data on sewer spills published by water companies only tells us part of the story. We want to learn about the impact this sewage has on our river. On top of this, we want to understand the effect of road pollution, untreated waste from misconnected homes and businesses, slurry and fertiliser washed off farms, and soil from riverside building sites pouring into our river.

We want to grow our current citizen science volunteer programme to help communities build the knowledge to change this. By turning more eyes to our river and teaching people how to detect and document pollution through Aire Watch, we are building a more comprehensive understanding of our river's health. This will help us reduce pollution and design habitat enhancements, such as the wetland we are constructing on Chellow Dene beck, that employ nature's restorative power to heal our rivers.