MP helps with River Lambourn project

Mr Benyon, who is also Minister for the Natural Environment and Fisheries, joined seven members of staff from his Westminster and Newbury offices and the RENEWAL team, to help with the project.
Mr Benyon volunteered to take part after visiting Shaw-cum-Donnington School and being impressed by the children’s enthusiasm for learning about fish lifecycles and river ecosystems.
Mr Benyon said that he was more than happy to lend his time to the project.
He said: “It was a really enjoyable day spent in the river and it was uplifting to see it become a fully functional ecosystem full of fish.
I would urge anyone thinking of volunteering to get involved, whether it is with work colleagues or friends, or just to lend a hand on their own.”
His first job as volunteer was to assist in the reconstruction of the “mattress” structures in the river by collecting woody material and reed rhizomes, which speed up the flow of water and improve the environment for fish and other river creatures.
RENEWAL, a three year Heritage Lottery-funded project, aims to involve the local community in the history and ecology of the river Lambourn.
In the past few months, the team has been involved with six local schools on a project to raise brown trout from eggs in the classroom to release into the river.