GOING, GOING .....? TIME FOR ACTION

A local fish and river conservation project is celebrating after being awarded a grant of £243,100 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Led by the Teign Angling & Conservation Association (TACA) this four year project aims to increase the numbers of Salmon and Sea Trout returning to the River Teign and its tributaries.

Chairman of TACA Roger Furniss said ‘Thanks to The National Heritage Lottery Fund we have the opportunity to work with our partners to reverse the long-term decline in numbers of iconic wild salmon and sea trout. We will also help people’s understanding of the environment of the Teign, its fish and the rich angling heritage they support. We’re doing this for the future’.

Stuart McLeod, Director London & South at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Caring for and having access to our heritage and our natural world will be ever more important as we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will engage a wide range of people in recording the history of angling on the River Teign and in creating a healthy future for the river and its wildlife.”

Project partners include the National Trust, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, MED Theatre and the internationally renowned artist Peter Randall-Page. The project will start work in earnest in Jan 2021. Working at a catchment scale (see map overleaf) the project will; establish a volunteer workforce to help improve the habitat for migratory fish, raise awareness in the importance of the river for wildlife and the key pressures causing fish declines, capture oral histories associated with the rich cultural heritage of angling on the river, inspire local people – young and old – to take an interest in the river, produce a local book and a community play and encourage more people to participate in the healthy pastime of angling.

An exciting opportunity exists to become our Project Officer. We are looking for a suitably experienced individual who is able to inspire a small army of volunteers and who can work on a self employed contract basis. For further information on this role contact David West via email west@beara.plus.com or phone 07534 862714.