Everyone's Evenlode and ECP make a splash

  • 20 March 2025
Images shows a kingfisher in the sunlight, eating a small fish. Image by Graham Hill.

We have been working with the Evenlode Catchment Partnership (ECP) since 2021 to deliver education-led engagement to communities within the Evenlode catchment area. ECP brings together partners and communities to look after their river environment. The project is helping to build community skills and understanding, to find solutions to the problems that affect water quality, and to develop new relationships with landowners. The overall aim is to bring the River Evenlode back to good ecological condition. The project is being funded by Thames Water, as part of their ‘smarter water catchment initiative’. There are four main work themes, which are being delivered in a collaborative and multi-partnered way:

  • Water quality and advocacy (delivered by Earthwatch for ECP)
  • Biodiversity, habitat, and landscape (delivered by Wild Oxfordshire for ECP)
  • Natural flood management (delivered by Wild Oxfordshire for ECP)
  • Education, access and recreation (delivered by Cotswolds National Landscape for ECP)

The Everyone’s Evenlode team is busy all year round, but has recently celebrated two things in particular:

Waters of the Cotswolds photo competition

The photo competition was open to a range of age groups, and invited them to submit entries across five themes. The themes were wildlife, troubled waters, reflections, portraits by the river, and historical perspectives. With over 70 entries across all age groups, we were thrilled with the response to the competition – and with the enthusiasm and creativity demonstrated by entrants. The overall winner was a beautiful portrait of a kingfisher – that most iconic of river characters – taken by Graham Hill. Congratulations to all the winners – and all those who submitted such a wide range of fantastic images the judges had a challenging task before them!

You can scroll through this and all the other winning entries below.

Evenlode Catchment Partnership celebration event

The ECP team and its partners recently hosted an event at FarmED to celebrate the achievements of the Evenlode project to date.

Around 120 guests attended, including all those people who have been involved in delivery so far: ECP partners, young people completing their Duke of Edinburgh, farmers and landowners, stakeholders, citizen scientists, volunteers, and representatives from participating schools and community groups. The work done during the lifespan of this pilot project is commendable. Across all the delivery themes, the partnership has excelled in engaging with people to inspire action, and to help develop understanding of the importance of the river and its catchment..

From an education, access and recreation perspective, it has been our pleasure to work with over 100 citizen scientists to help measure and monitor water quality across the catchment – including young people from four citizen science schools; to host over 3,000 students and pupils at 118 school sessions; to have worked with 35 schools and colleges; to have worked with 16 private landowners to deliver sessions; to have offered 35 community visits; to have delivered 32 habitat management sessions with students working towards their Duke of Edinburgh Award; to have invited people to join us on 17 guided walks featuring the river and to have participated in 39 knowledge exchange events with outreach to 2,389 children and 4,212 adults. And this is just one strand of the overall ECP delivery!

Presentations were given throughout the event to offer thanks and gratitude to those who have brought this enormous project to life, and helped make it such a success. Especially memorable presentations came from the pupils at Enstone Primary School (one of the citizen science schools) and the Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme students – all of whom spoke so eloquently and sincerely about the differences this project – and their involvement with it – has made.

Work of this nature must inspire people to carry it forward – into the future long after an official project period has concluded – and this sentiment was not only echoed, but fully embodied by the young people who shared their experiences. There has been an underlying mantra throughout the project that once people love something, they will hope to care for it – and we have every confidence in the commitment of the young people and communities in the Evenlode catchment that they will continue to look after this wonderful river and its habitats for generations to come.

Waters of the Cotswolds Open (16+) winners

Images shows a kingfisher in the sunlight, eating a small fish. Image by Graham Hill.
Image shows a European dipper taken on the River Frome in Stroud. The highlights behind are water droplets being thrown up by the fast moving river. Image by Nick Holland.
Image shows a young boy walking along the canal near Yarnton. Image by Hilary Palmer.
Image is of five swans swimming in a line down the canal, past a church and trees. The winter light is bright and crisp, with a blue sky and clear reflections. Image by Amy Gatley.

Open (age 16+) category:
1st place: Graham Hill, 2nd place: Nick Holland, 3rd place: Hilary Palmer, Highly commended: Amy Gatley

Waters of the Cotswolds 11-16 years winners

Image is of a swan paddling downstream on a river with lush green vegetation on both banks. The lighting is very soft and romantic. Image by Jonah Powell.
Image is of is of a damselfly taken at the village pond at Ashley, near Tetbury. Image by Adam Poll.
Image is of a river in frosty winter light. It looks like sunset or sunrise. Image by Isabel Hamlyn.
Image is of two seals splashing around in water. Image by Ewan Harris.

11 – 16 years category:

1st place: Jonah Powell, 2nd place: Adam Poll, 3rd place: Isabel Hamlyn, Highly commended: Ewan Harris

Waters of the Cotswolds 11 years and under winners

image is of a toad, taken from ground level. Image by Reggie King.
Image is of some mallard ducks, taken in Cirencester - with the church tower in the background. Image by Nellie Beddoe.
Image is of the River Avon near Tewkesbury Abbey, and shows water running over a drop, with some clear relfections and plenty of movement in the water. Image by Sorrel Duggan.
Image is of a single cow's footprint on the bank of the River Thames running through Port Meadow Oxford after summer heatwaves and after the floods and herds of cows venture further over parched land to find the ideal place to drink. Image by Kai John-Hopkins.

11 years and under category:

1st place: Reggie King,  2nd place: Nellie Beddoe,  3rd place: Sorrel Duggan, Highly commended: Kai John-Hopkins