Fish Day at Severn Valley Country Park this Sunday
Shropshire Council and Severn Rivers Trust are hosting a wildlife discovery day with Severn Rivers Trust on Sunday 15 April at Severn Valley Country Park. The event will celebrate the arrival of spring at Severn Valley Country Park and showcase plans for an ambitious River Conservation project called Unlocking the Severn.
Fish Day is a fun-filled day of discovery based around the wildlife of the River Severn. It will feature a number of activities for all ages:
Ranger-led Ramble: 10am-12.30pm. Ranger-led ramble of around 3.5 miles. The walk will be led by Ed Andrews (Parks and Countryside Officer, Shropshire Council) and will show visitors spring birdlife on the river, visit a forgotten farmstead and showcase a fascinating project to bring back a rare fish to this stretch of the Severn. Adults £4.50, Children £3. Please call 01746 781192 to book places.
FREE drop-in craft session for children: Between 11am and 3pm, call into the Visitor Centre to make your own beautiful fish to take home. Suitable for children aged 5 and above with adult supervision. The session will be led by staff from Severn Rivers Trust.
Drop-in Ranger-led pond-dipping: Between 2pm and 4pm, discover fierce diving beetles, slippery fish and mysterious caddis flies in this ranger-led session. All nets and equipment provided. Suitable for children aged 5 and above with adult supervision. £2.50 per child. Just turn-up!
Ed Andrews, Parks and Countryside Officer for Shropshire Council, said:
“Shropshire Council is proud to be working with Severn Rivers Trust on the Unlocking the Severn project. Fish Day will be a great event for all the family to discover more about the wildlife of Severn Valley Country Park. Mid-April is a significant time of year for both our spring migrant birds and also migratory fish that use the Severn. It is also a magical time to be out exploring the valley.”
Severn Valley Country Park is at Chapel Lane, Alveley, just off the A442 between Bridgnorth and Kidderminster.
Further information
The £19.4m Unlocking the Severn project is the largest of its kind ever attempted in Europe. It is being funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the European Union LIFE programme.
The work will address blockages and secure the long-term future of many of the UK’s declining and protected fish species by substantially increasing access to the critical spawning grounds fish require to complete their complex and fascinating lifecycles. This includes historically economically vital species such as the now threatened twaite and allis shad. The project will also benefit other critically declining species such as salmon and the European eel.
