Celebrating Three Years of the CLEAN Afon Nyfer Project
A Journey of Community, Conservation, and Collaboration
As we reflect on the past three years of the CLEAN Afon Nyfer project, it’s remarkable to see how our dedicated volunteers have made a significant impact on researching the health of our local habitats. Engaging with 54 long-term volunteers, the project has been monitoring habitats and collecting vital water quality data.
Hats off to the fantastic CLEAN volunteers!
CLEAN, standing for Catchment Level Environmental Action Network, started in 2020. During the first year, 23 volunteers contributed data from 82 sample points, resulting in 287 records submitted. The following year, we saw an increase in volunteer participation, with 32 people helping at 73 sample points and submitting 211 records. In 2023, our team of 22 volunteers managed to cover 53 sample points, contributing 205 records. You can read the latest CLEAN report here. This consistent effort, including some volunteers and sample points repeating year to year, highlights the dedication and commitment of our community to environmental stewardship.
Community engagement, intergenerational interactions and future aspirations
Beyond data collection, the project has been a hub for community engagement. We’ve successfully piloted a range of activities, including panel discussions, training and consultation events, and family-friendly explorations of river and coastal life. These seven events have resulted in over 200 individual engagements.
Each event offered opportunities for participants to share why the Afon Nyfer catchment is important to them, outlining their priorities for action and expressing how they wish to contribute further. These interactions have been invaluable, with the aspirations and feedback of our community directly shaping the next phase of the project.
The project has worked in collaboration with many key partners, including Community Councils, Dwr Cymru, Natural Resources Wales (NRW), West Wales Rivers Trust, Pembrokeshire Nature Partnership, Farming Connect, and the Wildlife Trusts of South and West Wales. Together, we share a vision of fostering a healthier and more sustainable environment.
We were also supported with funding through the Welsh Government's 'Sustainable Management Scheme' and Pembrokeshire County Council's 'Enhancing Pembrokeshire' grants.
What's next?
As we move forward, we're excited to be delivering the next phase of the CLEAN Afon Nyfer project. We'll bring more news on that soon!
The project to date stands as a testament to what can be achieved through collective effort and shared enthusiasm. Here's to many more years of meaningful engagement, conservation, and positive change for our loved and needed river Nevern.
Read the full report and recommendations from 2023 sampling here.
Work with us on the Afon Nyfer project
A couple of weeks before Christmas, we said farewell to Adam Dawson, who led the project up until this point. We're now seeking a Project Coordinator to lead the CLEAN Afon Nyfer project into its next phase. This part-time role (2 days/week, 15 hours) focuses on improving land and river health in the Afon Nyfer catchment.
Responsibilities include strategic direction, project oversight, partnership work and team leadership. The initial 12-month contract offers an immediate start, and we hope to be able to extend the contract if funding can be secured. Click here for more details and to apply.