Blackwater River Festival 2019

Blackwater River Festival 21/09/2019 – 29/09/2019

Our festival has now drawn to a close and we reflect on a fantastic week. A huge thank you to everyone who joined and supported us.

Why have a Blackwater River Festival?

Blackwater River Festival 2019

Living near water anywhere can add greatly to your quality of life, and at BVCT, we've always believed that our small 23-mile river and its valley are a bit special. Our friends at the BVC Partnership have been keeping them fit for your enjoyment for forty years this year, and we felt that needed to be celebrated - watch our video.

We decided to hold our first Blackwater River Festival, and we wanted you to celebrate with us.

You'll be surprised at just how much there is to see and do in our little corner of the UK, and to prove it we joined with other groups up and down the Valley to put together an exciting programme - nearly twenty events over nine days - at the end of September, to coincide with World Rivers Day.

Under knowledgeable and experienced event leaders, you discovered little-known countryside paths on your doorstep or at the other end of the Valley, learned more about the flora and fauna, got wet and dirty in river restoration work and watched the secret lives of night creatures.

Thank you to everyone who joined our Festival and supported us. We'd love to see you at our future events.

Festival events

Mammals and moths enthrall the children

September 29, 2019
Surveys to discover wildlife are always our most popular events.
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Shout out to our amazing volunteers

September 29, 2019
Everyone had fun getting their hands dirty doing practical conservation work.
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A warm welcome on our nature walks

September 29, 2019
Interesting guided walks during the Festival attracted a lot of interest.
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Festival first – a new initiative

September 26, 2019
It's easy to explore the 23 mile wildlife corridor of our Valley by train
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Time to talk – three aspects of our Valley

September 24, 2019
During the Festival, we ran a varied programme of free talks, all well attended.
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Monthly walk in September 2019

September 21, 2019
An interesting 9 mile walk around Farnborough airfield and beyond.
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