The Tees Rivers Trust

17/06/2026

⚡MEET THE TEES TEAM - Rich⚡

Tees Rivers Trust may be a small charity, but its made up of 15 passionate individuals who all have a big interest in the river health and heritage.
Over the upcoming weeks, we're going to be shining light on who our team members are, and what their role is at the Trust.💙

Meet Rich, our Senior Farming Advisor and fishing champion!

"Prior to working at the Trust, I have spent time working in the fisheries team for the National Rivers Authority then the environment agency. On top of that, I have spent more than 20 years working along the Tees and it's tributaries giving farm advise and working as a fisheries officer Perk of the job? Hunting massive eels!

In my spare time I certainly enjoy fishing and getting over to the Isle of Sky, exploring on my kayak where I can."

Email: [email protected]
🐟 · 🏞 · 🐠· 🌳 · 🎣 · 🚣🏼‍ · 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴· 🐍 · 🌊

16/06/2026

🌊 Last week we welcomed 10 enthusiastic volunteers, community members and environmental professionals to our Riverfly Monitoring training course!

Delivered in partnership with Wear Rivers Trust, the session introduced attendees to the Riverfly Partnership's citizen science programme, which helps monitor river health through the identification of key aquatic invertebrates.

Armed with nets and trays, participants got hands-on experience kick sampling and discovering the incredible wildlife living beneath the water's surface. From mayflies and caddisflies to freshwater shrimp, these small creatures tell us a huge amount about the health of our rivers.

By training more people to monitor waterways across the Tees catchment, we're building a stronger picture of river health and helping to identify issues before they become bigger problems.

A huge thank you to everyone who attended and got stuck in! 👏

Interested in becoming a Riverfly monitor? Get in touch with Ian, ian@teesriverstrust find out about future training opportunities.

15/06/2026

🌟WE'VE BEEN NOMINATED!🌟

Last week we gave a shout out to our fabulous volunteers and thanked them for all their brilliant work. Well now we have even more evidence to prove it..

We've been nominated for the BBC Radio Tees Make a Difference Award!

What happens next?
➡️A panel of judges will consider all entries and shortlist 32 finalists.
➡️Finalists will be announced live on BBC Radio Tees in the summer.
➡️Finalists will be invited to join us at our BBC Radio Tees Make a Difference Awards ceremony in September.

Wish us luck!! 🫶🙏🤞

14/06/2026

🌿 Join our Hartlepool Balsam Bash!

We’re teaming up with Hartlepool Borough Council for a community Himalayan balsam pull at Bishop Cuthbert on Thursday 25 June as part of INNS Week.

No experience? No problem! We’ll provide all the training you need, just bring a can-do attitude and clothes you don’t mind getting a bit muddy.

🗓Date: Thursday 25 June

📍Location: Bishop Cuthbert, Hartlepool

⏰Time: Drop in for the whole session or even just an hour, every bit helps!

Himalayan balsam is an invasive plant that crowds out native wildlife and weakens riverbanks. By pulling it before it seeds, we can make a real difference for local rivers and wildlife 💪

Whether you’re a seasoned volunteer or trying conservation for the first time, everyone is welcome. Bring friends, family, and plenty of enthusiasm!

Let’s work together to protect Hartlepool’s green spaces and waterways. 💚

Hartlepool Borough Council

13/06/2026

🌼💛 GUESS THE FLOWER 🌼💛

Bonus points for the location too!

Here's a clue..
Its shaped like a 🌏 and a native species 💛

Thank you to Martin for another epic shot!
📸 https://martinrogersphotography.co.uk/

12/06/2026

👀 SPOT JAMES IN THE JUNGLE 👀

This is Round Hill, Ingleby Barwick in 2020 and is why we do what we do!

This is only a snapshot of how bad the giant hogweed was...

Since then, we have been visiting multiple times a year with volunteers and have local residents who keep the footpaths clear so that the green space can be accessed and enjoyed. 💚

The area was ploughed and rotovated with wild flower seed in 2022 to supress the hogweed seeds and re-diversify the space, and what a difference it has made! 🚜🌸🌼🌺

Same location, 6 years on. The battle isn't over, but we certainly are winning! 💪

Read more about our case study here:
🌐 https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/34b0719ea8d4493b82f9fe5e704f8c37

11/06/2026

🌸❌THE BIG BARNEY BALSAM BASH❌🌸

🗓 Here's a date for the diary:
• Monday 22nd June
• 10am - 2pm - stay as long as you'd like!

🗺 Where?
"Laura's Field" that runs along side the River Tees

📍 Meeting Point:
• 10am at Eggleston Abbey (or come and find us in action!)
• https://what3words.com/chest.fuse.chair

📩Email:
[email protected] or text: 07712 659434

We hope to see you there!💚

11/06/2026

👀Looking to get a foot in the door in the environmental sector?

⚡️This could be the perfect opportunity for you!⚡️

Hear more about local conservation, organisations, ways to get involved and share your experience and ideas on how young people can shape the future of this vital sector. 🦎🌳🪺🍀🐝🌍

An update on the status, future shaping and opportunities to be involved with NEWTs, a strategic group within the TVNP

10/06/2026

⚡MEET THE TEES TEAM - Ellie⚡

Tees Rivers Trust may be a small charity, but its made up of 15 passionate individuals who all have a big interest in the river health and heritage.
Over the upcoming weeks, we're going to be shining light on who our team members are, and what their role is at the Trust.💙

Let's shine some light on our fabulous, Ellie, our Eel Project Officer.

"I come from a background in marine and fisheries research and joined the team in December as a Project Officer for the Eels of Steel project. My previous work focused heavily on Arctic environments, which has prepared me for the cold waters of the River Tees!

In my role, I work to increase monitoring of European eel in the Tees, improve access to parts of the catchment affected by river barriers and poor habitat, and re‑connect people with this remarkable species.
Eels often have a reputation for being snake‑like and slimy, but it’s always great to see how perceptions change once people learn about their incredible life cycle. I am loving meeting so many interesting people who care deeply about the health of the Tees. From chatting with enthusiastic schoolchildren to collaborating with artists, it’s very exciting to see the opportunities to join forces and improve our connectivity with water.
Outside of work, I like to be on a squash court or hockey pitch, and I love being close to the sea whenever I can. I also enjoy creative writing—mostly poetry—so please let me know of any Teesside poets I should be reading!"

Email: [email protected]
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09/06/2026

Wishing everyone a belated happy World Ocean Day!🌊🐟

Yesterday was World Ocean Day and the Trust was very busy in Hartlepool finishing filling our spatting pond with scallop shell "cultch". This cultch is used as settlement material for juvenile oysters, which attach to shells and grow, and can then be placed into the estuary to restore Native Oyster habitats🦪

We were also carrying out routine maintenance on the seagrass we have growing in our nursery systems. Yesterday this included cleaning off dead leaves and checking our tank's conditions, and today we had our fabulous volunteers in to monitor growth and survivability. These seagrass units, more affectionately termed pasties by the volunteer group, will hopefully also be installed into the estuary this summer to reintroduce seagrass meadows🌱🏖️