A HERITAGE Lottery Fund grant of more than £50,000 has boosted the skills of people working for the Tyne Rivers Trust.

Tasked with overseeing the regeneration and conservation of the River Tyne catchment, the trust received the funding from the fund’s resilience programme to train key members of staff and trustees. Areas such as project management, marketing and first aid have been key to the learning process.

Meanwhile, specialist areas of training have also been delivered in flood modelling, freshwater pearl mussel surveys, geographic information system (GIS) and electrofishing, since the funding period began in December.

The trust is now seeking ISO accreditation for quality, safety and environmental management.

And, as a direct result of the benefits, the organisation is now able to bid for a range of environmental improvement projects that ensure the long-term health of the River Tyne, as well as the future of the trust.

Susan Mackirdy, director of the Tyne Rivers Trust, said: “The resilience funding will move Tyne Rivers Trust forward into a position where we are able to bid for more funding, including from HLF, with the in-house expertise to carry out commercial contracts to restore rivers, mitigate for fish obstructions and develop wetlands.

“I am extremely excited about the future of the Tyne and its communities and the bigger role that Tyne Rivers Trust will now be able to play thanks to National Lottery players.”

Staff from the trust will join around 2,500 flood professionals packing out London’s ExCeL convention centre in September to attend the world’s largest flood exhibition and conference.

Back in Tynedale, the trust is continuing to tackle the spread of invasive species such as Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam and giant hogweed on the banks of the Tyne.

Anyone interested in volunteering to help stop the non-native species is asked to contact the trust’s volunteer coordinator, Simone Price, on (01434) 636902 or email s.price@tyneriverstrust.org