Turning poor land into rich, useable habitat

For years, the historically straightened and culverted stretch of river near Williekeld Sike just didn’t work — not for farming, and not for nature. The channel had become cut off from its floodplain, backed up with water, and lost its ability to support wildlife. What remained was unproductive and prone to flooding further downstream.

But now, that’s all changing.

By working together and utilising nature-based solutions, this piece of land has been transformed into something much more valuable: a natural flood defence, a haven for wildlife, and, in time, grazing land.

Lev Dahl, River Restoration Manager, explains how this project came about:

“Our farming team were already in discussions with the landowner, Nestlé and First Milk about tree planting on the site, but when we discovered it was home to ground-nesting birds, we had to rethink. I was brought on board to look at restoring the river and creating a wetland instead — keeping the landscape open, but making it work better for both nature and farming.

"Nestlé and First Milk agreed to support my proposals and I was able to bring in other partners to increase the project’s impact, including the Environment Agency who matched the funding through the Cumbria River Restoration Strategy, resulting in a total of £111k to be invested to transform this site.”    

Lee Truelove from First Milk explains why they supported the project:

“First Milk enthusiastically backed the recent river restoration at Moorside Farm which was supported by Nestlé UK & Ireland as part of our long-term regenerative partnership. Converting a waterlogged, underperforming area into a vibrant, meandering waterway. This project is crucial for the farm, as it reinstates the river’s natural course, mitigates downstream flooding, and improves soil vitality and water retention across the grasslands.
 

“Through collaborative efforts between Nestlé, First Milk and our members, we’ve adopted regenerative principles that enhance farm productivity while fostering rich habitats for wildlife like otters, fish, and birds. This initiative reflects our dedication to a holistic approach, harmonising profitable farming with ecological health to ensure a sustainable future for both agriculture and the surrounding ecosystem.”

With work taking place over time and the final connection with the existing river to be completed in June 2025, Lev was mindful of the unpredictable weather, complexity and timing of the different aspects of the capital works to be delivered. As a result, the work was carefully phased to ensure minimal disturbance to the downstream watercourse, with time allowed for the works to settle and weather conditions to improve.