Wear Rivers Trust

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Volunteer With Us

Volunteers are central to the work of Wear Rivers Trust, supporting the conservation and enhancement of the River Wear through practical action, shared knowledge, and collaboration.

Take Action For Our Rivers

If you’re as passionate about healthy rivers as we are, we’d love to have you on board!

Whether you are looking to join in with practical tasks outdoors on occasional weekdays, you want to monitor a local watercourse regularly in your own time, or you are part of a group that is keen to take on a challenge together, there are opportunities to volunteer with us. 

As well as supporting our environmental projects, you’ll be able to enjoy healthy exercise, connect with nature, learn new skills and meet like-minded people.

 

Be part of the change

Quality Assured Volunteering

We are honoured to have received the Kitemark, an award recognising organisations that demonstrate their commitment to removing barriers to volunteering and valuing the recruitment and retention of volunteers.

Volunteers in Action

Every project across the Wear Catchment is powered by volunteers who care deeply about the rivers and landscapes around them. Their dedication and teamwork are helping to restore the health of our waterways and strengthen the connection between people and nature. In this video, some share their experiences and show how collective effort can make a lasting difference for wildlife, communities, and future generations.

Explore Our Opportunities

Explore our interactive map to discover the opportunities taking place across the catchment and find out how you can get involved in caring for local rivers.

Riparian Tree Planting


Working with landowners across the Wear Catchment, trees

are planted along riverbanks to enhance biodiversity, stabilise

banks, reduce flood risk, and improve habitats for spawning fish.

Planting Season: November – March.

Pollution Control


Activities such as litter picks and water testing help reduce pollution,

protect wildlife, and improve water quality across the Wear Catchment,

keeping our rivers clean and healthy.

Get Involved: Year-round opportunities.

Wildlife Surveying


Surveys of birds, mammals, and invertebrates help track species

presence, monitor habitat health, and guide conservation work across

the Wear Catchment.

Get Involved: Seasonal opportunities.

Invasive Non-Native Species Removal


Targeting Himalayan balsam, giant hogweed, and Japanese knotweed

helps protect native species and restore river habitats. Each species is

managed seasonally, for example, Himalayan balsam is removed in

spring before it seeds.

Get Involved: Seasonal opportunities.

Natural Flood Management

Natural techniques such as leaky dams, wetlands, and tree planting

slow river flow, reduce flood risk, and create habitats that boost

biodiversity and capture carbon.

Get Involved: Year-round opportunities.

Fish & Riverfly Monitoring


Fish populations are monitored through electrofishing, while riverflies

are surveyed to assess water quality and ecosystem health. Findings

guide habitat restoration and conservation across the Wear Catchment.

Get Involved: Seasonal opportunities.

Erosion Repairs


Using green engineering techniques, eroded banks are restored to

protect water quality, maintain footpath access, and support both

biodiversity and community wellbeing.

Get Involved: Year-round opportunities.

Become a Volunteer

Wear Rivers Trust relies on dedicated volunteers to deliver practical conservation and community projects across the catchment. 

Our volunteering platform makes it easy to find opportunities, sign up for activities, and stay informed about upcoming events.

Sign Up Today

Take the first step to protecting and restoring your local rivers.

Be part of the change

Hear from our volunteers

Click on each photo to hear feedback from volunteers as they share their experiences of volunteering with Wear Rivers Trust.

“The session was well-organised, with clear guidance and plenty of support from the coordinators, which made it easy to get involved. It was fascinating to learn about river-flies and how they help indicate water quality.”

“Wonderful day of learning with great people who only want the best for our rivers. Good balance between theoretical and field work.”

“We often don’t interact with that many people during the week so volunteering is a good way of meeting people, often great exercise and always a learning experience.”

“A brilliant session, I really enjoyed the chance to be involved in the bank protection work and had a great sense of achievement looking at how much we’d done by the end of the day!”

“I enjoy physical tasks and there was a choice about which ones we preferred to do which was great. Daniel was very good explaining the techniques needed which I was able to put into action.”

“I’ve made friends volunteering, learnt loads about the rivers and environment and really feel we are making a difference. I can highly recommend it to anyone who has some spare time.”

Contact Us

At Wear Rivers Trust, we’re always striving to make our volunteering opportunities as inclusive as possible. Unfortunately, due to the nature of our work, some of the activities we arrange may not be accessible to those with additional needs or physical disabilities. If you’re keen to volunteer with us, but are not sure whether you’d be able to take part in any of our upcoming sessions, contact our volunteering team at: volunteering@wear-rivers-trust.org.uk and we’ll gladly help you to find an activity that works for you!