The River Sid Catchment Group’s Facebook pages are not only full of infectious enthusiasm about the River, but also give regular updates of goings-on, including this week’s announcement of funding for further engagement projects.
And a recent engagement involved asking people what came to mind when they thought about the River:
This ties in with yesterday’s release of a significant report in the progress of putting together a ‘plan’ for the River – the River Sid Engagement Report – 2024
To quote from the SVBG’s summary:
In May and June 2024, the RSCG undertook a programme of community engagement and consultation to explore how local people perceived the River Sid and its catchment landscape. The aim was also to get their buy-in and support for the developing River Sid Catchment Plan (see following page).
To deliver this consultation, the RSCG developed a questionnaire that was circulated online and in hardcopy throughout the community (see separate summary report below) and also undertook a variety of face-to- face engagement activities that included:
- Public exhibit (with voting) and riverside engagement during the Sid Valley Biodiversity Festival 2024
- Public ‘river consultation’ event (with ‘catchment SWOT analysis’)
- Community Questionnaire
- Sid ‘Natural Catchment Management Plan’ Workshop
The draft catchment plan and full report are here.
As one commentator says:
The ‘engagement’ has been pretty impressive – but so has the making of really solid ground to take the project forward. After previous rather half-hearted attempts to ‘do something’ about the River, it’s fantastic to see such a clear and well-thought plan gathering momentum, bringing in not only the ‘experts’ but the wider community. And the report shows both that real engagement and the way forward: all very positive indeed!
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With the full pdf available here: River Sid Engagement Report – 2024
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