Community engagement at Awre

Our approach to saltmarsh restoration on the Awre peninsula relies on working with you, explaining the changes we are proposing clearly and being transparent about the processes involved.

High tide walk on the Awre peninsula in October 2025.

As part of this we want to give you opportunities to speak to us face-to-face throughout the restoration process.

We hold regular meetings to discuss progress with the community and lead walks along the banks of the river for more informal discussions.

We have made a brief record of these events below and you can also sign up to our regular newsletters about the project if you want to hear more about what we’re working on each month.

Community engagement

This document sets out the public engagement we plan to do as part of our work at Awre, as well as why, when and who we would like to be involved.

Download our engagement overview

Meetings and events

: This was a well attended event which allowed us to observe a high autumn tide and stand on the proposed breach location with the rising Severn just below our feet. We discussed the change in landscape, the detailed process towards planning, habitat changes and remedial work, as well as taking in the northern area of Warth.

: The fourth of the monthly drop-ins, we updated on the remedial work on hedgerows, trees and the orchard, as well as the topographical surveys being undertaken, and future ground investigation work. We also provided a detailed timeline on the proposed works towards planning.

: The third of the monthly drop-ins, we updated on the findings of the bird surveys and ecological assessment . Attendance was relatively low (possibly due to summer holidays) so the team decided to leave a slightly longer gap between this event and the next drop-in.

: A group of Awre locals and those with interest in the project joined us at WWT Slimbridge to walk out onto The Dumbles and experience the type of saltmarsh we expect to establish on the Awre peninsula. We discussed its immense value as a habitat in the estuary.

: The second of the monthly drop-ins, we updated on the findings of the bird surveys and ecological assessment and invited community members to visit The Dumbles, saltmarsh at WWT Slimbridge.

: The first of the monthly drop-ins, we updated on WWT’s work with JBA consultancy and gave updates on the ecological assessment and research programme which gained momentum over the Summer months. Attendance was good and feedback suggested face to face contact was positive.

: Taking on feedback from the community, we held two roundtable discussion and a walk and talk. Questions asked were organised into themes and subjects, and this helped us understand how the community felt, what they would like to know, and how we might move forward in addressing their concerns.

: An opportunity to provide a different perspective to the project by walking out onto the peninsula. These were well attended, allowed us to discuss saltmarsh whilst being stood on top of it and helped further community conversations by outlining some elements of site design, such as the proposed breach site.

: At this event we announced that WWT had been successful in purchasing land onthe Awre peninsula, as well as outlining the next steps for the project. Feedback suggested that it would be beneficial if the next community event took a different format, to hear from more voices within the community.

: An introduction between the Awre community and WWT, discussion of saltmarsh and the organisation’s interest in the land at Awre. WWT gained an understanding of the powerful sense of place within the community and heard that many were already aware of the flood risk to the land at Awre.

Awre community bulletin

Each month we send out a newsletter for the local community giving progress updates, sharing any interesting wildlife we’ve spotted and including upcoming dates for meetings or opportunities to volunteer for the project.

You can sign up to this newsletter by emailing us on saltmarshsolutions@wwtorg.uk, or review previous editions below:

The Awre Local Community Forum

To make sure the community has a formal way to feed into our project we have established the Awre Local Community Forum.

This is a group of residents from the village who are given regular updates on the project and act as representatives of the community’s preferences and concerns to WWT.

This forum is composed of a chair and a number of other members, with membership intended to include a range of views on the project and from across the community.

The current membership of the forum is as follows:

Chair

John Bennett

Members:

May Bull

Ursula Cross

Robin Greening

David Leopold

David Taylor

Katy Wilson

The forum meets every two months to discuss the progress WWT has made and to discuss feedback on how the project is considered within community and how it may affect the village.

Every third meeting of the forum there is an opportunity for anyone from the village to attend the start of the meeting, to ask questions directly to the forum and WWT as the secretariat.

You can read the minutes from the latest Local Community Forum meetings below:

Keeping in touch

We will do our best to give you access to experts, the opportunity to talk one on one, or in more informal settings through our walk and talk sessions in the village.

We are also developing opportunities to get involved with research and volunteering on the project, from litter picks to wildlife surveys, catering to a range of interests and time commitments.

If you want to ask us a question about our work or get involved with volunteering at Awre please email us on saltmarshsolutions@wwt.org.uk.