News

We have a really exciting opportunity for you to have your say on which actions should be taken to bring the River Irk back to life. There will be an online survey coming soon, but also 3 workshops focussing on different areas of the catchment.  These are free to attend…

The series of methods including leaky dams, tree planting and Sphagnum moss were featured on Sunday’s Countryfile as part of a pilot project in Crompton Moor, Oldham aiming to show how effective natural methods can be for preventing flooding. The project is a partnership between Natural Course, City of Trees,…

The Hillylaid Wetland in Thornton, is situated just north of Blackpool in Lancashire. It’s a low lying area of land sandwiched between the River Wyre and the Irish Sea. Natural Course has been involved with this project for a number of years as part of the wider action ‘using coastal…

Natural England announce the completion of a new ecological network tool for wetlands and woodlands in Northwest England It can provide an evidence base for prioritising off-site Biodiversity Net Gain opportunities, and contribute to the evidence base for the development of Local Nature Recovery Strategies in the Greater Manchester pilot.…

New online tool launched to record issues and opportunities for improvement for the Irk Catchment Data will be considered as part of the Irk Action Plan BRIL is an ambitious Natural Course project that aims to transform the Irk into a vibrant river corridor, bringing nature and people together in…

Natural Course is a collaboration made up of the Environment Agency, Natural England, Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Rivers Trust and United Utilities.  The project has brought these organisations together to design projects to better understand and overcome some of the biggest barriers to implementation of the North West River…

Background: A core theme of Natural Course is using a Natural Capital approach to generate new and greater resources for natural environment projects. In Phase 2 of the Natural Course project, accounts of the Irwell Catchment’s existing Natural Capital and a series of Ecosystem Services Opportunity tools were created. These…

A joint project to open up the River Croal catchment to migratory fish has been completed. The removal of a disused failing weir on the River Tonge will help combat long-term declines in fish stocks and boost other wildlife. Partnership project between the Environment Agency, Groundwork, Greater Manchester Combined Authority,…

Virtual launch of Wyre Natural Flood Management Investment Readiness project attended by Environment Agency Chair Partnership project to enhance the local environment and protect against flood risk Background Natural flood management interventions can give multiple benefits to the environment, however funding is often limited in this area.  New and innovative…

New natural ‘leaky dams’ have been constructed on Crompton Moor, Oldham The dams are designed to slow the flow of water before it reaches towns and villages further downstream of the River Beal, including Shaw and Crompton. The latest part of a project which uses natural methods to reduce flood…