Caroline's Henry Hedgehog Children's Book
Caroline Mills is raising money for Action for the River Kennet
Story
About Me
Thank you for taking time to visit my Just Giving page. The Charity Action for the River Kennet (ARK) means a lot to me personally. My childhood was spent in the Wiltshire countryside and my father was a keen fly fisherman on the River Kennet. Decades later my daughter and her family now live in the beautiful Kennet Valley with their garden leading down to the river.
I have written and illustrated my children’s book, Henry Hedgehog’s Riverside Adventures for my grandchildren, two of whom, Sam and Louis, live in Ramsbury and attend the local school.
The Charity actively involves this school and other local schools in learning about the importance of looking after the river and understanding it’s varied biodiversity. There are so many threats to chalk streams throughout the country including pollution, water extraction and invasive plants and animals.
I am hoping all money raised from the sales of my book will go to this excellent Charity to help protect all the unique features of this special chalk stream.
About the River Kennet
The River Kennet is one of England's most important chalk streams. Some 45 miles long, it is the largest tributary of the Thames and in summer months contributes up to half its flow.
It runs through the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Beauty and passes by some of Britain's most important prehistoric sites, including the World Heritage Site of stone circles and avenue at Avebury and Silbury Hill, before flowing through Marlborough, Hungerford, Newbury and Reading, where it joins the River Thames. The Kennet has numerous tributaries including the rivers Lambourn, Enborne, Og and Foudry Brook.
Mainly rural in character, the catchment is defined by the chalk uplands of the Marlborough and Berkshire Downs to the North and the Hampshire Downs to the south. Much of the area falls within the North Wessex Downs Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB).
Many of the wild animals and plants of the Kennet and its banks are increasingly scarce in today's intensively managed countryside. Fortunately, much of the Upper Kennet is designated as a SSSI. The white drifts of stream water crowfoot in early summer are characteristic of chalk and limestone rivers. Species like water vole, reed bunting and brook lamprey are in decline in other parts of the country. Chalk streams are magical habitats and it is vital that we protect them.
About ARK - Action for the River Kennet
ARK is a membership organisation and our members include local people who enjoy having a healthy river as part of their living environment; tourists and visitors who enjoy walking by and fishing in the Kennet; and environmentalists who want to see a valuable chalk stream protected.
We have a strong volunteer team who monitor the health of the river and, working alongside a project officer, take practical action to improve and restore habitats.
As well as taking action on the ground we campaign to protect the river.
We have a strong volunteer team who monitor the health of the river and, working alongside a project officer, take practical action to improve and restore habitats.
As well as taking action on the ground we campaign to protect the river.
- We successfully campaigned to reduce abstraction and export of water from the Kennet Valley to Swindon. As a result, Thames Water has invested 30 million pounds in a new pipeline that will protect the River Kennet by providing an alternative source of water for Swindon during low flow conditions. We continue to press for improvements to leave more water in the river for wildlife.
- ARK is campaigning to reduce domestic water consumption.
- We campaign to improve water quality, believing that every river should be fit to support a healthy wildlife population and pose no risk to human health. Marlborough Sewage Treatment Works was one of the first treatment works in the country to be fitted with a phosphate stripper to improve the quality of treated sewage effluent. This was largely a consequence of ARK's campaigning.
- ARK watches and comments on planning decisions which may affect the health of the river.
- ARK has caused the Environment Agency to rewrite its consent mechanisms regarding Sewage Sludgecake Storage to protect watercourses from nutrient-loaded runoff.
Visit the ARK website www.riverkennet.org
Donating
Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity. Every penny donated will go directly to the Action for the River Kennet Trust.