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Caring for Eden
Exploring Eden
Our Charity
Exploring Eden
Exploring Eden
Large group of adults stood smiling, behind a mound of full bin bags, types and other rubbish Large group of adults stood smiling, behind a mound of full bin bags, types and other rubbish

River Eden

River Leith

River Eden

Working with communities

At Eden Rivers Trust, we believe that everyone deserves the chance to connect with Eden’s rich natural heritage. Nature isn’t just beautiful—it’s essential. Time spent in green and blue spaces brings profound benefits to our mental and physical well-being, something our society needs now more than ever.

Yet, many people face barriers—physical, social, and cultural—that prevent them from enjoying these spaces. That’s why our focus is on supporting environmentally under-served and marginalised communities across the Eden catchment.

We work with communities, schools, teachers and volunteers to inspire the next generation of river guardians and empower everybody to take action in their local communities to protect our rivers and natural environment.

A wheelchair user testing out a newly-laid accessible path at the Eden Community Tree Nursery

Creating opportunities for all

Through our National Lottery Heritage Fund partnership project, Access to Eden: breaking barriers, building bridges, we’re working to remove physical, social, and cultural barriers to accessing nature and create welcoming, inclusive ways into nature. 

Whether it’s through community-led habitat restoration, outdoor learning for schools, volunteering opportunities, or finding new ways to get outside to Eden’s rivers, we’re building bridges that empower people to explore, enjoy, and protect Eden’s blue and green spaces.

Find out more about the Access to Eden project

Local action, lasting impact

We’re working with landowners and communities across these eight ‘doorstep’ natural heritage sites, enhancing wildlife habitats and increasing accessibility on many. They are also hubs for activities that support under-served groups in discovering and caring for their local environment. 

River Eden

A group of volunteers with balsam plants in flower.

An Eden for everyone

Beyond these 'doorstep' sites, we have seven interconnected programmes span the Eden catchment, focusing on:

  • Youth engagement and outdoor education
  • Solutions to environmental problems
  • Cultural exchange and inclusion
  • Providing accessible information and resources
  • Promoting health and well-being

These programmes open up Eden’s landscapes to everyone – helping communities to explore, enjoy and care for the rivers and countryside beyond their own doorstep.

Why is this needed?

Watch the British Mountaineering Council’s powerful video, Outdoors for All, to understand the challenges many face in accessing the outdoors.

Inspiring the next generation

We believe that when young people connect with nature—especially the rivers that flow through Eden—they gain more than knowledge. They gain inspiration, confidence, and a sense of responsibility for the world around them.

Through our outdoor learning programme, we’re embedding environmental education into the school curriculum and creating meaningful opportunities for pupils to learn by the river. These hands-on experiences spark curiosity, deepen understanding, and help nurture a new generation of river guardians—young people who care for wildlife and take action to protect our environment.

A net containing aquatic fauna is being emptied into a large open plastic tray and the contents examined by a number of people gathered around the tray.
Stuart Walker Photography

River Eden

Our outdoor learning programme is:

  • Bringing learning to life

    We work closely with schools in under-served communities to integrate rivers and nature into everyday learning—then take students out to the riverbank for hands-on experiences that bring lessons to life.
     

  • Empowering teachers

    We upskill teachers through continuing professional development (CPD), equipping them with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to lead outdoor learning and embed environmental topics into their teaching.

  • Creating inspiring resources

    Our engaging educational materials help bring Eden’s rivers, wildlife, and landscapes to life. These resources are designed for schools, home educators, and anyone interested in exploring and learning more about our local environment.

Find out more about our outdoor learning programme and resources

Powered by people

Our volunteers play a vital role in restoring Eden’s landscapes. From planting trees and hedgerows to removing invasive Himalayan Balsam and reintroducing endangered water voles, every action helps protect our rivers and wildlife.

Volunteering with us is more than conservation—it’s about building skills, confidence, and community.

We welcome individuals, community groups and local organisations/businesses who can spare some time and help make Eden's rivers better places for people and wildlife.

Find out more about volunteering with Eden Rivers Trust
  • A person is wringing some Himalayan balsam stems between their hands. A big patch of Himalayan Balsam towers over them as they do it.
  • A group of people are standing behind two columns of wooden square tubes. Inside each tube is a sapling.
  • A woman is holding lots of thin lengths of wood in her arms and is smiling at the camera.
  • A large group of people are standing on a slope looking at the camera. Some of them are carrying a white box that has a water vole inside.
  • A woman holds a tiny tree sapling in her gloved hands and smiles at the camera. In a minute, she will plant it in the ground.
  • A group of people are stood in a line. Two of them are holding spades. On the ground in front of them there are cobblestones showing where the people have dug away a layer of earth that was hiding them.
  • A man and a woman are standing at a table and planting young tree saplings in terracotta pots.
  • A group of people are standing against a metal barrier on a bridge. They are wearing waders. One woman is raising her leg and hand at a jaunty angle whilst another man hides behind his map.
  • Two ERT volunteers stood at a wooden table, repotting saplings into larger pots using soil stored in large orange buckets. Onsite at the Penrith community tree nursery.
  • A group of women are standing behind, and on a heap of plants that have been well and truly bashed.
  • Four people stand behind a wooden cage for water voles that they have just mended.
  • A woman dressed in black with a blue headscarf carrying an uprooted Himalayan balsam plant.
    Stuart Walker Photography
  • A group of four people in high vis vests walking along a tarmac path holding bags full of litter and litter grabbing claws.

Working Together for Eden

As part of the Access to Eden project, we’re building a conservation network - collaborating with partners across the catchment and aligning our engagement activities. 

Among others, these include:

Cumbria Wildlife Trust,

North Pennines National Landscape, and

Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.

Together, we're opening up more opportunities for everyone to access, explore and protect Eden’s natural heritage.

Supporting our work with communities