The Tees Rivers Trust

04/06/2026

🏆 Winners! 🦪
We’re delighted to announce that Critical Pathfinders have been crowned North-East winners of the Association for Project Management Challenge 2026 for their outstanding work with our Oyster Restoration project!
Partnering with Tees Rivers Trust estuary project officers, this team of early-career project management professionals from Turner & Townsend played a key role in supporting the upcoming installation of a native oyster nursery in the River Tees, set to launch this summer 🌊
From building and managing the project schedule, to forecasting key activities, tracking risks and dependencies, and coordinating stakeholders — the team has been instrumental in driving the project forward every step of the way.
Once installed, the oyster nursery will provide valuable insights into oyster survival, growth, and the future potential for native oyster restoration in the Tees 🦪
But the impact doesn’t stop there, the work has …
✅ Expanded the Trust’s volunteering network
✅ Boosted awareness through social media
✅ Delivered project management workshops to Trust staff
An incredible achievement with real environmental and community impact 👏
Good luck to Critical Pathfinders in the national finals — we’ll be cheering you on!

03/06/2026

⚡MEET THE TEES TEAM - James⚡

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 James, our Project Officer at NBS and Jack of all trades!

"I have worked on and off at Tees Rivers Trust since 2016. I am now more involved with the Nature Based Solutions (NBS) side of the Trust, getting stuck into a range of activities from habit creation, river management, electrofishing and tree work just to name a few. I love the variety of the job, there's always something new!

In my spare time I'm usually found in my work shop, doing a bit of wood work or making axes. I've just about finished my home renovation so will spend the summer finally relaxing!"

🌐 https://www.naturebasedsolutionsltd.co.uk/

🦌 · 🏞 · 🌳 · 🎣 · 👷 · 🪵 · 🪓 · 🏠

02/06/2026

02/06/2026

We did it! 🎉

We’re proud to share that our charity is now officially CHAS Elite accredited!

CHAS is a nationally recognised accreditation that demonstrates high standards in health & safety, compliance, and risk management. Achieving Elite status reflects our commitment to delivering our work safely, responsibly, and professionally across every project we undertake.

A great achievement for the team and a proud milestone for us at Tees Rivers Trust👏💚

01/06/2026

🌸❌ROCKWELL NATURE RESERVE BALSAM BASH❌🌸

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

🗺 Where?
The River Skerne at Rockwell Nature Reserve, Haughton

📍 Meeting Point:
• 10am on the green by Riverside Way (or come and find us in action!)
• https://what3words.com/first.green.fork

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

We hope to see you there!💚

31/05/2026

🪓🌳HEDGE LAYING RESULTS🌳🪓

Nothing beats seeing your hard work paying off! 💪😍

In the winter our volunteers laid sections of a hedge over in Aislaby, Stockton-on-Tees to improve the wildlife corridor and stock proofing efficiency.
It wasn't an easy task but we developed new skills and are now seeing new growth sprouting from the bottom, creating a fuller and more effective hedge. 🌳

Why not do it all in one go?
Because wildlife rely on these hedges for navigation, shelter and breeding purposes. If we were to disrupt it too much we may interfere with our winged, spiked and fluffy friends! 🦇🐦🦔🐀🐿️

30/05/2026

🍿🎬FREE SCREENING EVENT 🎬🍿

Middlesbrough Environment City and Friends of the Earth warmly invite you to a special screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing at Middlesbrough Town Hall on Thursday 4 June, 7–10pm.

This powerful 50-minute film brings together leading UK scientists and experts to explore how the climate and nature emergency is already affecting:

🌧️ Extreme weather
🍞 Food security
🏥 Health
💷 Cost of living

Featuring voices including Chris Packham and Deborah Meaden, the screening will be followed by an open community discussion about what this means for Middlesbrough — and what we can do locally.

The event is free to attend, but seats are limited, so please book in advance here:
https://link.eu.inky.net/link?domain=www.tickettailor.com&t=h.eJxFjkkOgzAQBL-CfI68yRs58RUYD8RhcWQMV

Everyone is welcome, so please feel free to bring a friend, neighbour or family member. We would also be very grateful if you could share this invitation with your networks and anyone who may be interested in attending.

We hope to see you there. 💚

29/05/2026

🪏 ITS NOT ALL HARD GRAFT... 🪏

There's cups of tea and biscuits too and sometimes even donkeys! ☕🍪

Check out this before and after giant hogweed dig our volunteers completed a few weeks back. They don't half graft this bunch 😁

With a big team we managed to get finished early so enjoyed a little picnic in the sun, joined by Marbles and Tinker. Less hogweed in their paddock means more grazing so they passed on their gratitude with cuddles and strokes 🫏🫏💚

28/05/2026

🐍🪣GUESS HOW MANY EELS IN THE BUCKET🪣🐍

We had the highest number of eels ever recorded during our monitoring session last week at Tees Barrage!

❓How many elvers do you think are wriggling around in there?

⬇⬇Comment your guess below!

Every year we monitor elvers (juvenile eels) that are making their way upstream and into the Tees Catchment. The elver monitoring at the Tees Barrage is underway and we have been watching the number of eels pick up over the last month. We have been seeing plenty of beautiful glass eels, which are almost transparent and are mesmerising to watch. It is astounding to think they have just crossed the Atlantic Ocean from breeding grounds in the Sargasso Sea!

The eel project is undergoing some developments, and you can read about the work, and more about the slimy and wonderful world of eels on our webpage:
🌐https://www.teesriverstrust.org/eelmonitoring

27/05/2026

⚡MEET THE TEES TEAM - Kate⚡

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 Kate, our Senior Project Delivery Officer and kayaking queen!

"I originally joined the Trust in 2022 as a mariculture intern for the estuary team, before taking on the development of our seagrass restoration work, and recently moving into a more central role which covers many aspects of the trust's work across the entire catchment.

I get to split my time between being out in the field investigating habitat restoration options and undertaking ecological surveys, meeting partners and members of the community, or exploring a fascinating world of GIS data and environmental legislation. I feel very lucky to be part of a fantastic team, bringing the trust's vision to life.

Outside of work, I have a passion for multi-day sea kayaking adventures - especially on the west coast of Scotland, which allows a unique perspective for my wildlife and landscape photography. I also enjoy other creative pursuits, indulging in a little painting, glass work, or a bit of gardening when I can."

Email: [email protected]

🌱 · 🏞 · 🌳📝 · 🌊 · 🚣🏼‍♀️ · 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿· 📸 · 🎨