Recent activities
We rounded off another very productive tree planting season with projects at two sites in Marske, and are incredibly grateful to everyone involved—especially when adverse weather meant that we had to cancel and reschedule tasks at fairly short notice.
We have also come to the end of our hedge laying tasks for this year, having completed a good stretch along the Swale Trail from Low Houses towards Low Whita. We are particularly grateful to both Peter Butler (who headed up the project) and Peter Whitesmith for sharing their knowledge of hedge laying with a large number of volunteers over the season.
Join us for Himalayan Balsam removal training
Fancy learning the art of Himalayan Balsam mapping and removal? Join Martha McBarron and the Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust at Dalton near Richmond, where the area covered by this invasive species is equivalent to 11 Wembley Stadiums!
Spots of balsam have already been identified along the Swale, generally extending from Crackpot downstream. This training would show us how to map it and tackle it—either as a series of group tasks, or as individuals taking charge of small clumps.
Training date tbc in late May/early June, and would likely run from 10am-2pm with lunch in the local village hall. Please register your interest by email (info@sustainableswaledale.org) and let us know whether weekdays or weekends would be better for you.
Visit to Westfields and Nine Acres Field in Richmond
The group has been offered the chance for a free guided tour around some of the sites in Richmond owned and managed by the Richmondshire Landscape Trust. It would cover Westfields, the only surviving remnant of Richmond’s Medieval open field system; and Nine Acres Field, which has been converted to a wildflower meadow with help from Buglife and also has areas under woodland management.
The tour is scheduled to take place on the afternoon of Saturday 18th April and is suitable for families. Please register your interest by email (info@sustainableswaledale.org)—a group size of about 12 is needed to make it viable.
Save the date: Final, ever, farewell task to complete the tree guard removal project at Storthwaite
Join us on Saturday 14th March to remove the very last section of guards from the 9 acre woodland at Storthwaite, Arkengarthdale. This is the culmination of three winters of challenging but very rewarding work, and we can all breathe a big sigh of relief as we drag the final dumpy bag down the hillside! If you’d like to be part of this historic event, please sign up in the usual way here, or email info@sustainableswaledale.org.
World Water Day events
In honour of World Water Day, local campaign group Save Our Swale is hosting two fascinating and free events, where you can learn more about the importance of water as a vital resource and how it sustains our environment.
The Secret Life of The Swale: Past Present and Future, Richmond Library, 16th February- 31 March 2026
Created and run by SOS volunteers, ‘The Secret Life of the Swale’ celebrates life in the Swale via a mix of interactive experiments, children’s storytelling and craft making sessions, photographs, and drawings.
Drought Workshop, Richmond Town Hall, 22nd March 2026, 2pm-3.30pm
An interactive workshop exploring the 1976 drought through newspaper articles and other archival material. Plus, using creative methods to explore what drought means for domestic users of water, and what we might do over the short and long term to cope with drought. Led by Nathalie Holloway, a doctoral researcher at the Leverhulme Doctoral Scholarships Centre for Water Cultures, University of Hull. Reserve your place in advance here.
Yorkshire Water under fire for above-inflation price increase
Yorkshire Water has come under fire after the utility company announced an above-inflation price hike. From April, average household water bills in Yorkshire are set to rise by 5.6 per cent – around £2.80 a month. The company says the increase will help fund an £8.3bn investment package to improve infrastructure and deliver better service for customers. But critics say the rise comes at the worst possible time!
Jane Parlour, chair of the Liberal Democrat Group in Richmond and Northallerton, said: “Households across our region are being hit yet again with higher bills, with Yorkshire Water putting prices up by 5.6 per cent and Northumbrian Water customers facing a 6.5 per cent hike—but they’re not seeing higher standards in return. People are furious about sewage in our rivers, poor customer service and a system that still rewards failure at the top. It’s Rip-off Britain at its worst.” Read more on Northern Eco.
Extinct moss being reintroduced across Yorkshire’s moors in fight against climate change
Two projects, one in the Yorkshire Dales and another on Marsden Moor near Huddersfield, are reintroducing mosses to the uplands. Sphagnum moss can hold up to 20 times its weight in water and helps to create peat bogs, where dead vegetation accumulates rather than decays, capturing carbon in the ground. At Kingsdale Head Farm in Ingleton, experts from the Yorkshire Peat Partnership are planting a rare sphagnum austinii that has been extinct in Yorkshire for hundreds of years.
“It is so important for carbon storage, for flood mitigation, for cleaning our water but also for our wildlife and the people who use these places and want to enjoy the wildness of them,“ says Farm manager Jamie McEwan. “Whether I’m there to see the full results of what we’re doing today or not I don’t know, but we’ll certainly find out more about it.” Read more on BBC News.
Friends of the Dales Eyes on the Skies Petition to Westminster
Friends of the Dales (FoD) is seeking support for their Eyes on the Skies campaign against bird of prey persecution by asking supporters to sign a petition to Mary Creagh, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature. The petition calls for three vital reforms which will help give officers working to combat birds of prey persecution better access to coordinated intelligence, and help to strengthen criminal deterrence against these appalling crimes.
The key reforms are: 1. Sentencing guidelines and the strengthening of penalties for offenders: Introduction of sentencing guidelines with more meaningful fines and the effective use of custodial sentences or community orders to deter continued offending. 2. Creation of a National Wildlife Crime Database: Making wildlife crime a notifiable offence would ensure consistent reporting, better intelligence sharing, and targeted enforcement. 3. Introduce regulation and licensing of the gamebird-shooting industry: Robust oversight is vital in areas—such as the Yorkshire Dales—where most confirmed persecution cases occur. Read the full letter and sign the petition here.
You can also watch a FoD recording of a presentation by Detective Inspector Mark Harrison of the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit which gives a detailed and invaluable insight into the real-world challenges of protecting vulnerable and endangered birds of prey in North Yorkshire.
Plans for every community to own a local energy project
Great British Energy has recently issued its Local Power Plan which sets out a clear vision and plan to revolutionise the UK’s local and community energy sector. Their vision is that by 2030, every community in the UK will have the opportunity to benefit from, and own, a local energy project. More details can be found here
Have your say on National Planning Policy Framework
The government recently published its draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) —an important document that guides what gets built where and how—and announced a major consultation. The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has expressed concerns about proposals within the NPPF which they think will: 1. Weaken Green Belt protections and allow speculative development; 2. Erase safeguards for “valued landscapes” (countryside outside of officially protected areas); and 3. Offer no guarantees for minimum levels of affordable housing in rural areas. Visit the CPRE website to find out how you can respond to the consultation before the deadline (10 March 2026).
Sustainable Swaledale AGM
Our AGM for 2025 was held on 5th February 2026 at Reeth Memorial Hall. It covered the reappointment of the group’s committee, a statement of our financial situation, a review of activities during 2025, and future plans and projects. This was followed by a presentation on the proposed Hope Moor Wind Farm by Fred Olsen Renewables. Minutes for the AGM have been sent out to all paid up members—please email info@sustainableswaledale.org if you would like copies.
Sustainable Swaledale Membership renewal
February is the time of the year when we would like to encourage you to renew your Sustainable Swaledale membership for 2026. While we have been lucky enough to be awarded several grants for our tree planting, tree nursery and magic meadow projects, the group has a number of ongoing costs that it has to cover from its membership income; such as insurance, web hosting, publicity, occasional room hire, supporting the Reeth Surgery Community beds etc. Membership income also allows us to support new project ideas…
The membership fee is £10 (£5 concessions) for the calendar year and you can pay in the following ways: BACS, cheques payable to Sustainable Swaledale or cash paid to the Treasurer at the monthly meeting. Please email info@sustainableswaledale.org for payment details, and many thanks for your support!
Group Meeting
The next group meeting is on Thursday 5th March, 7pm at The Vicarage in Reeth (end of Langhorne Drive). A chance to get together, report back on winter projects and discuss forthcoming summer activities. Plus, anything else you’d like to discuss!