New wetland takes shape at Herefordshire family farm as it joins forces with rivers trust to tackle flooding

A 0.5-acre wetland on a tributary of the Curl Brook will help slow flood water, clean the water flowing towards the River Wye and create a new haven for wildlife and wetland birds that holiday guests and visitors can watch grow

White Heron Estate, the 150-year-old family farm at Lyonshall near Kington in North Herefordshire, has completed a new 0.5-acre wetland on a tributary of the Curl Brook, which flows into the River Arrow, in partnership with the Wye & Usk Foundation, the rivers trust working to restore the habitat, water quality and fisheries of the rivers Wye and Usk.

The wetland is designed to support flood attenuation, water quality and biodiversity. It can hold back up to 900m³ of water during heavy rainfall, reducing flood risk downstream, slowing the flow of water off the land and capturing silt and nutrients before they reach the brook and, further downstream, the River Wye.

The project was supported by a £50,000 grant from Joined Up Landscapes, a research project funded through the Maximising UK Adaptation to Climate Change (MACC) programme.

Design work began in early 2025, and groundwork by John MacDonald Contracting started in late spring 2026 and was completed in June 2026.

In late October 2026, staff from the Wye & Usk Foundation and the team from Whittern Farms planted more than 1,200 plants to establish the wetland. The work was led on the farm by James Wright, farm manager of Whittern Farms at White Heron Estate, who acted as the key liaison with the Wye & Usk Foundation.

Herefordshire knows the cost of flooding all too well.

During Storm Dennis in February 2020 the River Wye reached the highest level ever recorded in Hereford, peaking at 6.11m at the Old Wye Bridge, and 166 properties in the city were flooded.

The Environment Agency went on to spend £450,000 repairing Hereford’s flood wall, and Herefordshire Council said the storm had caused “disruption to the entire county and untold damage to those directly affected”.

Flooding has continued to be a problem for the county since, as a changing climate brings more extreme swings between heavy rainfall and drought.

Wetlands like the one at White Heron help on both fronts: they hold water back on the land when it rains hardest and release it slowly, easing the pressure on rivers downstream, while keeping the ground wetter and giving wildlife a refuge through drier spells.

Kath Pyke, Project Officer, Nature-based Solutions at the Wye & Usk Foundation, said: “Herefordshire has seen first-hand how damaging flooding can be. Wetlands like this one at White Heron hold water back on the land when it rains hardest, release it slowly, and trap silt and nutrients before they reach our rivers. Working alongside farmers like Jo and James is how we make a real difference for the Wye, and for the wildlife that will make this wetland its home.”

The project is the latest step in a long commitment to sustainable farming at White Heron.

The 700-acre mixed farm, run by Jo Hilditch, the fourth generation of her family to farm the Whittern, grows blackcurrants for Ribena alongside 65 acres of cider apple orchards, 30 acres of vineyards, arable, poultry, sheep and woodland.

The estate already participates in Higher Level Stewardship, works with the Wildlife Trust and Ribena on biodiversity, manages 100 acres of woodland and is involved in a clean-rivers project.

Jo Hilditch, owner and managing director of White Heron Estate, said: “Farmers have to be part of the solution for the River Wye. This wetland shows that a working farm can grow food, hold back flood water and give nature more room, all on the same land. We can’t wait to see the birds and wildlife move in, and to share it with our guests.”

James Wright, farm manager of Whittern Farms at White Heron Estate, who leads the farm’s sustainability work and was a finalist for Sustainable Farmer of the Year at the 2026 British Farming Awards, said: “Working with the Wye & Usk Foundation on this has been a real team effort. We’ve put more than 1,200 plants into the ground, and every one of them will help hold water on the land, filter what runs off into the brook and give wildlife somewhere to live. Good farming and looking after the river go hand in hand, and this is a practical example of that.”

As the wetland matures, the team expects a big increase in wildlife right the way up the food chain.

Water micro-invertebrates, insect pollinators, toads and frogs, helped by stone refuges built for amphibians, will be joined by damselflies and dragonflies, including the emperor dragonfly, one of Europe’s largest and most impressive species.

Birds that favour wet areas, such as heron, snipe and warblers in the tall water plants, are expected, and perhaps even reed bunting. More insects should also draw in bats, possibly Daubenton’s bat, known as the water bat, roosting in the hollows of nearby willow trees, and owls hunting for voles in the banksides and meadow grass.

Fittingly, “Whittern” comes from an old Herefordshire word for the white heron, or great white egret, the bird that gives the estate its name.

Guests staying in White Heron’s six self-catering cottages, and visitors joining the estate’s e-bike and walking tours, will be able to see the wetland as part of their holiday or day visit and follow its progress season by season.

The tours take visitors across the working farm, vineyards and orchards to the Cassiserie, where they can taste White Heron’s British Cassis, Framboise and sparkling wine, and now to the new wetland.

The wetland sits on the tour route and includes a purpose-built viewing platform for tour and holiday guests, giving them the chance to get closer to nature and watch the wildlife change through the seasons, offering a relaxing farm stay and countryside escape all year round.

The news follows Jo’s Outstanding Contribution to British Agriculture Award at the 2026 British Farming Awards, which recognised three decades of championing innovation, sustainability and diversification on the family farm.