River Teign Restoration Project

Looking after fish, looking after the river.

The River Teign Restoration Project was a four-year river conservation project centred around improving the river and its tributaries for migratory fish species particularly Salmon and Seatrout.

This project was made possible by a grant of £243,100 awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Led by TACA (Teign Angling & Conservation Association) it forged a partnership between the National Trust, Westcountry Rivers Trust, Environment Agency, MED Theatre and the internationally renowned artist Peter Randall-Page.

The project started in February 2021 and ran until January 2025 with the recruitment of two part-time project officers. Working at a catchment scale, the River Teign Restoration Project established a volunteer workforce to help improve the habitat for migratory fish and raise awareness of the river's importance for wildlife, and the key pressures causing fish declines.

A healthy river that is good for fish is good for wildlife, biodiversity, and everything else living in the catchment, including us.

Humans are as much a part of the story of a river as the creatures below the surface, and so a big part of this project is making those connections with communities up and down the catchment as well as regional visitors.

In order to convey the relevance of this river to all folk; young and old, local or visitor. We set out to tell its stories and collect and capture oral histories associated with the long cultural heritage of the Teign.

This inspiration to help people to take an interest in the river came in many forms; art instalments, volunteer days, guided walks, workshops, theatrical performances and the production of a book.

The Project

Anglers around the UK and throughout the species natural range have been aware of the worrying decline in Atlantic Salmon for a while. Every year less and less Salmon return to their home rivers and in response to this here on the river Teign a group of concerned Anglers decided they needed to do something about it.

The Teign Angling and Conservation Association formed an alliance with the National Trust, Environment Agency, West Country Rivers Trust, Peter Randall-Page and MED Theatre and a successful application was made to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

And so The River Teign Restoration project came into being and got underway in February 2021. In essence, this project aimed to improve the River Teign and all of its tributaries for Salmon and Trout. Halting the decline and hoping to restore their populations. This will by definition benefited the health of the river, its associated wildlife and of course us. You don’t have to be an angler to appreciate a healthy river. A clean and healthy riverine ecosystem is good for everything and all - just think of the enigmatic and iconic otter, the dash of a dipper or kingfisher and the dazzle dragonflies and damselflies. And all of this is just skimming the surface!

The presence of life in all its forms is reassurance to the itinerant paddler, river walker and bank-side pic-nicker that all is well.

Reconnecting with the River

Increasing awareness, informing and educating is critical to the future of this river and any river.

The project aimed to do this in a multitude of ways. Throughout the project, we put on performances, presentations, and competitions, and provided school visits, guided walks and fishing demonstrations. We recruited a team of 'river watchers' and volunteers who helped us to achieve our aims. This volunteer force carried out practical conservation work from surveys to water quality testing and riverbank management.

This project involved not just those who live in the catchment, but also those under-represented audiences such as young people, visitors, holidaymakers and the residents of the many new developments.

By responsibly promoting the river as a place of life, enjoyment, angling and its many health and well-being values was at the heart of our collective message.

Leaving a legacy. Looking back over the four years we know we have set in motion an approach that has enough momentum to carry the values of this project into the future. Not just a living legacy of a recovering river, but an accompanying archive of cultural heritage and, of course, useful information that will guide the continued trajectory to a better, cleaner and more fishful river.

Stuart McLeod, The National Lottery Heritage Fund

“Caring for and having access to our heritage and our natural world will be ever more important as we emerge from the Covid-19 crisis. Thanks to National Lottery players, this project will engage a wide range of people in recording the history of angling on the River Teign and in creating a healthy future for the river and its wildlife.”

Final Evaluation Report

View Evaluation Report

As part of the completion of the Project, an Independent Final Evaluation Report was produced by Clarity CIC

This report provides a final evaluation of the ‘River Teign Restoration Project’ delivered by the Teign Angling and Conservation Association and partners and funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The aims of the report are to: