Ribble Life Together

The Ribble Life Partnership was originally created in 2011 as part of a Defra funded pilot scheme driven by the EU’s Water Framework Directive.

 The pilot scheme aimed to engage people from local communities, farmers, public sector organisations and local businesses to help improve water quality at a local, catchment level. This is known as the catchment-based approach (CaBA) which the Ribble Life Partnership adopted for the long-term in 2013. In 2015 the Partnership were awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to develop it’s first project- the Ribble Life Together project.

The Ribble Life Partnership is made up of over 20 different organisations, including United Utilities, Environment Agency, RSPB, Forest of Bowland AONB, Forestry Commission, Natural England, Woodland Trust, Yorkshire Dales Millennium Trust, Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority, NFU, RFCA as well as local councils and a number of community groups.

The Ribble Life Partnership objectives are:

• To ensure that improvements to rivers in the Ribble catchment support a healthy local economy
• To share information and communicate effectively across the Ribble catchment
• To work together to maintain and improve the biodiversity of the Ribble catchment
• To reduce pollution and improve the quality of water in the Ribble catchment
• To enhance the amenity value of the Ribble catchment

The Ribble Life Partnership and Ribble Life Together

In order to identify which areas of the catchment needed our help the most our partnership collected huge amounts of data and evidence. By collating this data key locations have been identified as our targets for the coming years.

This data has also allowed us to formulate some specific goals which include:

• Improving water quality by reducing diffuse pollution sources including faecal matter to improve coastal bathing waters.
• Increasing biodiversity by improving and creating riverine & other habitats, increasing habitat connectivity and promoting renaturalisation.
• Using natural processes to aid in reducing natural flood risk.
• Improved access and information for residents and visitors to utilise rivers and streams for recreation.
• Promoting education, increased awareness, engagement and understanding of riverine heritage.
• Provide training, volunteering and other opportunities for all to become involved in improving and celebrating their river heritage.
• Increased use of the catchment for local tourism & recreation, as well as working with local businesses.
• Increased carbon sequestration and shading of streams to help mitigate climate change.
• Demonstrate how aligned partners activities can have a range of multiple benefits