We’re delighted to announce that the Ryevitalise Landscape Partnership has been nominated for the 2026 UK River Prize. The prize is awarded by the River Restoration Centre, experts in river restoration and a focal point for projects to share information, expertise and best practice, visit the River Restoration Centre website. The UK River Prize recognises outstanding projects in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Made possible through funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, Ryevitalise ran from 2019 to 2025. Its focus was on the River Rye, which meanders through a varied landscape of moorland, dales and farms. The entire project area covered 413 square kilometres, that’s equivalent to over 57,000 football pitches, and followed the river through the North York Moors National Park to the Howardian Hills National Landscape.
Working closely with farmers and land managers, practical interventions included measures improving water quality, reducing sedimentation and addressing obstacles to fish migration. It also included restoring ancient woodland and controlling invasive non-native species. The project also had an eye on rarer species and work was undertaken to better understand and protect the Alcathoe bat and white-clawed crayfish.
Community engagement was vital to the success of Ryevitalise. Volunteers were trained to carry out practical conservation tasks, and citizen science groups were established to conduct species and habitat surveys. A bat monitoring scheme saw members of the public deploy acoustic detectors across the project area, generating over 1.2 million records and confirming at least eleven bat species. Our River Rangers club, for young people aged 11-17, gave children hands-on involvement, and school pupils engaged with the river’s archaeology.
The winner will be announced later this month at the Awards Dinner during the River Restoration Centre’s annual conference, at the International Conference Centre in Wales. Learn more about Ryevitalise here.