The Trust is a member of The Rivers Trust (formerly The Association of River Trusts) and works with the local community throughout the catchment of the Wear from the source in Upper Weardale to the coast to conserve, protect, restore and improve the rivers and streams of the catchment.
One of the key aims is to raise awareness of the value of the River Wear, including its flora, fauna, social and economic benefits, and to help people understand the need for conservation and restoration, as well as to promote exploration and enjoyment of this precious resource.
Peter Nailon has worked with the Trust since its creation, becoming full-time director in August 2012. He attended the London School of Economics 1977-1981, then spent 2 years working on farms in Australia. On returning to the UK he worked in Logistics until 2006 when he moved into the environmental sector. He managed a dry stone walling apprenticeship scheme before moving on to Lantra where he was project manager for the LandSkills North East agriculture and forestry training, reporting to ONE North East under the Rural Development Programme for England 2008-2012.
Lucy has been with the Trust on a part-time basis since 2015, working on educational projects to promote the Trust’s activities and help pupils learn about rivers and look after their local environment. Projects and activities with schools include river field trips, John Muir Awards and ‘Mayfly in the Classroom’. Lucy also co-ordinates our riverfly monitoring network with our volunteers undertaking monthly river invertebrate sampling to assess water quality across the catchment. She has degrees in Zoology and Ecology and has conducted research into ruddy duck populations with Newcastle University and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust and into otter habitat use with Aberdeen University. Before joining the Trust Lucy worked with a variety of environmental organisations including the RSPB, Natural England and the Durham Biodiversity Partnership.
Paul joined the Trust in July 2016 as a Project Officer. He has a degree in Environmental Biology and an MSc in Environmental Management. Paul has previously worked at the Tyne Rivers Trust and with the Environment Agency in a number of roles. He has a wealth of previous experience in monitoring freshwater ecology and co-ordinating and delivering habitat improvement projects.
Paul is experienced in tackling INNS through practical activities and the use of volunteer networks through community engagement. Paul has a wealth of experience in stakeholder engagement to raise awareness of the impact of INNS with particular regard to riparian INNS. The Trust maintains a catchment wide database of INNS records and is engaged in the use of Citizen Scientists to map and inform a practical strategy to eradicate INNS. Paul is co-ordinating remote sensing research into the rapid identification of INNS on the Wear with Newcastle and Durham Universities and has a wealth of knowledge to support the regional INNS strategy aims.
Kirstie has worked for the Trust since June 2017 in the capacity of Office and Business Development Manager. She has a strong financial background working as a Financial Controller for a PLC in the Nuclear sector for 10 years then more recently running her own business. She is a qualified Accounting Technician as well as having management qualifications. Outside of work Kirstie enjoys the outdoors and tending to her horses.
Martin joined the Trust in September 2017 to work primarily on the EU Intereg Topsoil Project. Having spent his working life in I.T. Martin decided in 2012 to change career and pursue a degree in Geology (UCC), followed by a MSc in Hydrogeology and Water Management (Newcastle University). Martin's primary interests are GIS, Opportunity Mapping, Hydro & Hydrogeological Modelling, and Mine Water Remediation. He is now the WRT IT Officer, supporting project development, delivery and reporting. Through his part time secondment to the Rivers Trust data team he has good visibility of national data management developments and opportunities.
Helen joined the Trust in February 2019 as the part time Office Administrator. She has a strong secretarial background of knowledge and experience in office procedures and protocols which will aid and enable the Trust office to run efficiently.
Rebekah joined the Trust in January 2020 as a Project Support Officer. She has a degree in Environmental Geography and an MSc in Ecology and Wildlife Conservation. Rebekah has previous experience of working with volunteers to carry out habitat improvement and is particularly passionate about conserving the uplands for the benefit of both wildlife and future generations.
A large part of achieving this involves preserving areas in which native species are still flourishing and promoting their recovery in areas in which they are declining by managing invasive species. Rebekah has experience of this through her previous work and as part of the Wear Invasive Non-Native Species (WINNS) Project in which she has worked with colleagues and volunteers to survey and map the distribution of Himalayan Balsam, Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed, and caried out practical management tasks to begin the process of eradicating these species from priority areas. Controlling the spread of such non-native species throughout the catchment and beyond will help prevent native flora being outcompeted and allow the unique and important habitats of the Wear catchment, and the species which rely on them, to thrive for years to come.
Beth joined the trust in 2020, as Project Support Officer. She has a degree in Environmental Science with a focus on biodiversity and ecology. She has a broad background in conservation, having volunteered and worked for several environmental charities. Beth has a broad experience ranging from Wildflower Surveys for Northumberland National Park Authority to Loggerhead Turtle conservation in Greece. In her spare time, she pursues many outdoor activities including climbing and mountaineering and is passionate about enhancing upland habitats for both wildlife and people.
Beth has previous work experience with upland habitats and is working on our Carbon Connects project in partnership with the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The project involves peatland restoration, which is crucial in the fight against climate change. Healthy peatlands are a huge carbon sink, storing millions of tonnes of carbon in just England alone which if dried out would release Carbon Dioxide – a key greenhouse gas – into the atmosphere. Historically peatlands have been drained and burned intensively to improve their use for farming, something which is nknown to be damaging and has degraded many of our peatlands, leaving them eroded and bare. Our work with this project focuses on growing sphagnum moss – a key peat building species – so that it can be spread onto areas of bare and eroded peat in the fight to restore these unique and fragile habitats and their incredible carbon storage capacity. Another key aspect of the project is engaging with upland farmers to help them farm in a more environmental and sustainable way and positively manage peatlands and wildflower meadows which both have many ecosystems services.
Thomas joined the Team in April 2021 as Farm Advisor. He has a degree in Agricultural Business Management and has two years of experience as an Assistant Farm Manager. Thomas has a keen interest in improving soil health with direct drilling, and he is a member of Base UK.
Thomas’s main project is topsoil; topsoil aims to measure nitrogen in groundwater and the effects that cultivation and soil type have on nitrogen retention. The goal will inform farmers about how nutrient management can affect the environment. For example, excessive nitrogen application will pollute groundwater. It is crucial to Sunderland, where they rely on their groundwater for mains water and holds around 150 years of water supply without being recharged. If it were to be polluted, it would make Sunderland dependent on the reservoirs in the northeast.
Thomas is also involved with carrying out farm assessments and identifying areas of diffused pollution on-farm; these assessments aim to reduce small pollution sources, mainly phosphate and nitrates. The evaluation also provides financial support for farmers to meet non-compulsory regulations. Additional goals of these reports are to link with topsoil to help farmers improve soil health.