People are invited to a workshop on Tuesday 15 May 2018, from 9.30am to 2pm, to find out about the benefits for Shropshire offered by natural methods of flood management, such as soil infiltration and wetland creation.

The workshop will feature talks from Dr Anne Wheeler, Chair of the Severn and Wye Regional Flood and Coastal Committee; Mike Morris, Deputy Director of the Severn Rivers Trust; Dr Phil Marren, CREST@UCS Researcher; Dr Nicola Hall from Reaseheath College; Guy Pluckwell from the Environment Agency and Peter Lambert, from Shropshire Wildlife Trust.

Jon Britten, CREST@UCS Project Manager, said: “River flooding is one of the big challenges facing Shropshire, costing the county millions of pounds every year. CREST@UCS is running this workshop to give people the opportunity to hear about sustainable options, covering the River Severn catchment area, to reduce downstream flooding.

“Leading experts will talk about how to ‘slow the flow’ and the benefits of natural flood management for both rural businesses in Shropshire and the more urban area of Telford.”

To book a free place go to: https://natural-flood-management.eventbrite.co.uk. Alternatively email crest@ucshrewsbury.ac.uk or call 01743 297561.

The home of CREST@UCS is Guildhall in Frankwell Quay, Shrewsbury, University Centre Shrewsbury’s learning and research base.

The £1.97 million centre has been created at the institution, in partnership with University Centre Reaseheath, after UCS was awarded a European Regional Development Fund grant of almost £1.2 million, via the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership, with the University of Chester contributing around another £800,000.

The CREST@UCS team is working with Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), in Shropshire, including the Telford and Wrekin area. Support is provided through research and specialist advice, and helping SMEs to develop innovative ideas and products before bringing them to market. This includes workshops to learn about new technologies and opportunities, and researcher placements.

To find out more about CREST@UCS go to www.crestatucs.com.

Further information

CREST@UCS is receiving up to £1.2 million of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for the European Regional Development Fund.

Established by the European Union, the European Regional Development Fund helps local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations. For more information visit www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.

A partnership between the University of Chester and Shropshire Council, University Centre Shrewsbury is a distinctive institution, focused on high-quality teaching and research, fostering entrepreneurship and contributing to the community. For more details go to www.ucshrewsbury.ac.uk.

University Centre Reaseheath is one of the leading specialist land-based Higher Education Institutions in the UK and is part of a strategic alliance with the University of Chester. For further information go to www.ucreaseheath.ac.uk.

For more details about the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership see www.marcheslep.org.uk.