Countryside Alliance Ireland - love the countryside

The RIPPLE project, in Ballinderry, Co. Tyrone, has been shortlisted as one of the UK’s top 10 National Lottery funded environmental projects. 

The WWF-NI and BREA project is helping the community of the Ballinderry River to devise and implement their own river action plan and improve the river for its wildlife and its people. 

The project has the opportunity to win a National Lottery Award, so please vote them through to the final by clicking HERE.  Every vote counts, so your support would really be appreciated.  Voting closes Monday so please don’t delay.  It only takes seconds and you can vote more than once.

WWF’s RIPPLE (Rivers Involving People, Places and Leading by Example) project is working to protect and celebrate the river’s natural and cultural heritage, bringing the river back to life by encouraging the community to reconnect with its conservation and helping them to realise their vision for their local river.   “Local people feel very passionate about it,” says Dr Claire Cockerill, Project Manager at WWF Northern Ireland.  “It’s an exceptionally beautiful area and used for so many different things, from fishing to walking and canoeing.”  

As such, The National Lottery has funded a number of activities designed to get the community involved.  A RIPPLE action plan has been produced which details how the community can work to achieve a healthy river that will provide opportunities for recreation, learning and a safe haven for wildlife.  It has also gone towards improving access, with new walkways and interpretation boards, and is used to produce and distribute regular newsletters to the community which show the project’s progress.  

Many events have also been arranged, including guided river walks, an annual community fair and training sessions for volunteers who want to get their hands dirty learning about the many different aspects of river management.   

For more information visit www.ballinderryriver.org