NECFC Secures Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) grant Funding in the cherwell catchment

We are very happy to share that the North East Cotswold Farmers Cluster has secured Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF) grant funding for two new river restoration projects in the Cherwell catchment - on the Deddington Brook and River Swere, both getting underway this spring.

Working with groups of farmers across two separate river reaches, we will be developing designs for floodplain reconnection, wetland scrape creation, natural flood management features, and the creation of fen, wet woodland, and riparian habitat corridors. Both projects share the same philosophy: light-touch, nature-led interventions that work with the landscape rather than against it, allowing water to find its course and habitats to develop naturally over time, while also complementing the farming business and system. The studies and designs produced this year will lay the groundwork for long-term delivery, with habitat management to be secured through Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and SFI. A huge thank you to all the farmers involved, this is exactly the kind of collaborative, landscape-scale work the cluster was set up to do.

If you farm in the catchment and have a wet corner, a watercourse running through your land, or simply an area you've always wondered what to do with, we would love to hear from you.

Tom Hall is always happy to walk land, have a conversation, and help think through what might be possible - whether that leads to a formal project or simply some ideas for the future. Get in touch at tom@cotswoldfarmers.org or 07774 347564.

Ford over the River Swere