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I was unaware of this organisation until today.
RIVER DOUR STEERING GROUP ANNOUNCES A NEW PARTNERSHIP AND LAUNCH A 'LOVE YOUR RIVER' CAMPAIGN
The River Dour Steering Group has existed for many years as a forum for the interchange of views and information between groups and individuals with an interest in the river, and as a means of supporting the river clean-ups organised through the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership.
Earlier this year it became part of The Dover Society to further promote its aims and enable use of the charitable status of the society to enable it to raise funds for river improvements.
In a further development, a new catchment partnership covering the River Dour and the River Stour from Ashford to Sandwich has been approved through the Environment Agency as part of a national programme. The partners involved also include the White Cliffs Countryside Partnership, Kentish Stour Countryside Partnership, and the new South East Rivers Trust as the main hosting partner.
The main purpose of the new partnership is to implement the EU Water Framework Directive to improve the water quality and health of the river by measurable means, whilst involving local people as much as possible in this work, and the South East Rivers Trust has great experience in this area when operating as the Wandle Trust across south London. The River Wandle runs through four London boroughs to the Thames: in addition to very similar environmental characteristics, this river has as an urbanised and industrialised history much like the River Dour, so the experience of the Trust will be very relevant in planning improvements on the River Dour.
The Environment Agency has also launched a nationwide 'Love Your River' campaign which the steering group will be adopting to promote the wider aims of The Dover Society in improving the not just the environmental but also the heritage, educational, amenity and tourism values of the river. This group will be explaining its aims and promoting the campaign as part of its bid for the public vote at the You Decide funding event at Dover Town hall on the morning of Saturday 16th November.
Ray Newsam
Chairman, River Dour Steering Group
