THE Tyne Rivers Trust has been awarded cash by Natural England to work with farmers and land owners in the Ouseburn catchment and as far west as Corbridge.

So far, 38 farmers have joined the group which covers an area of over 8,000 hectares, including farms in the Corbridge and Ovingham areas, but there are still opportunities for others to get involved with the project.

The facilitation fund is part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme and helps land managers to improve their local environment at a landscape-scale.

The Tyne Rivers Trust says it will focus on reducing the risk of flooding, reducing sediment movement into the water course and improving water quality.

Plans are in place to tackle flooding where possible, using natural flood management techniques such as improved soil structure and management, management of grasslands and strategic woodland schemes over the whole river corridor.

There is scope for up to 80 farms to become involved, with £500 available to the trust for each farm that signs up.

Douglas Phillips, operations director at the trust, who will manage the fund, said: “Urban rivers can have a huge bearing on localised flooding which frequently affects significant populations.

“The facilitation fund is an extremely exciting opportunity for the trust to work with the local farming community, government agencies and the wider community to find workable solutions for the catchment which will revolve around natural flood management.”

The Tyne Rivers Trust group is one of the biggest in the North-East and has been working to improve the River Tyne since 2004.

Farming minister George Eustice said: “We are committed to helping farmers better protect their land, and surrounding communities, from flooding.

“We’re already investing £15m in natural flood management schemes across the country, making sure we protect homes and businesses as well as protecting our precious wildlife.

“This exciting scheme is a win-win and will see us build-up flood resilience while at the same time achieving some real benefits for our rich natural habitats including our ancient woodlands, grasslands and moorlands.”

Farmers interested in more information about the scheme should contact Danielle Anderson-Walker, the trust’s farm co-ordinator, on (01434) 636906.