We would like to extend our heartfelt congratulations and thanks to our volunteer Jess, who has secured employment with CEFAS as a Shellfish Scientist and will be leaving the valleys. Jess has been a key volunteer in our SMART rivers project on the river Cynon, learning to identify river fly invertebrates to species level. Jess has also recently successfully completed our River Restoration course. We would like to wish Jess all the best for her future career in conservation.

Jess said: “My time volunteering with the rivers trust has been really rewarding. Volunteering has been informative, and all aspects were very well run, it has provided me with a greater understanding of the problems our rivers face and how we may go about mitigating these issues. A highlight for me was learning invertebrate identification, and I would recommend spending some time with Gareth to aid engagement with the local rivers surrounding us which hold great importance.”

We have spaces available for our next course get in touch for details.