The North West Kent Countryside Partnership and the Environment Agency held the Migrating Towards Better Rivers workshop on Saturday the 2nd of March to discuss the future of the Rivers Darent and Cray.

The workshops aim was to explain the impact of structures, impoundments and low flows on river habitat and provide opportunity to have questions answered.

The day was overseen by our enthusiastic and independent chair Keith Wallington. The morning was started with a fascinating pictorial presentation given by Rod Shelton who took delegates on a journey through time from Neolithic times to the present day, showing how the history of the Darent and Cray catchment is informing and helping to shape its future. Presentations by Dominic Martyn from the Environment Agency, Andy Thomas from the Wild Trout Trust and Richard Ball from the Kingfisher Angling and Preservation Society focused on river restoration methods and techniques and the anglers perspective. Finally the morning presentations were rounded-off by Angela Gorman from the Environment Agency who summarised the role of catchment planning in helping to shape future actions on the river and the change to abstraction on the Darent.