'Love the Lugg' day leaves Midlands politician more confident that river recovery is possible

Spring is here, and with it the promise of many sunny days spent outside in our beautiful countryside!

I recently spent a wonderful day travelling across the constituency, appreciating our waterways with lots of local groups - and speaking about how much more needs to be done to restore them.

Valentine’s Day became my “Love the Lugg” day: a whistle-stop tour from Aymestrey to Mordiford to celebrate the River Lugg and the people who care for it.

I began at the Riverside Inn, talking to local businesses about how the Lugg supports tourism and hospitality, then joined the Herefordshire Ornithological Club in Leominster to see for myself the birds our waterways sustain.

At Wharton Court Farm I saw Wyescapes landscape-recovery work in action, and later got my waders on for a Riverfly survey with volunteers from the Wye Adapt to Climate Change Project.

I also took part in water testing with local citizen scientists in Moreton-on-Lugg and finished the day at Mordiford Mill hearing about its vital heritage role.

It was so energising to meet with farmers, volunteers, business owners, and citizen scientists; people whose work on the ground already makes a huge difference to water quality, wildlife, and local livelihoods.

Their practical ideas and local knowledge are exactly what national policy needs to listen to.

Alongside the visits, I launched a parliamentary petition calling for the government to formally evaluate a Water Protection Zone for the Wye catchment - one practical tool that could help tackle phosphate pollution and restore ecological health.

This petition builds on cross-party work I've coordinated with MPs from the Wye catchment and discussions I’ve held with the Minister for Water and Flooding to press for catchment-wide action and proper support for farmers to adopt river-friendly methods.

Love the Lugg was a single day, but it sits within over a year of sustained campaigning to restore our rivers.

There’s still a long road to cleaning up the Wye and the Lugg, but I left the day more confident than ever that with local ingenuity and proper government backing, recovery is possible.

Thank you to everyone who welcomed me on the day - I’ll be taking our discussions straight into Westminster and continuing to push for the funding and action our rivers deserve.

Ellie Chowns, North Herefordshire MP