Powys charity dedicated to protecting rivers has been given a £100 grant and an invite to a meeting.

The Wye and Usk Foundation, is a registered charity dedicated to protecting and restoring the rivers, wildlife and landscapes of the Wye and Usk catchments.

For over 30 years, it has worked to improve river health through scientific monitoring, habitat restoration, natural flood management and community engagement, in partnership with landowners, businesses, the public sector and farming communities.

Its work supports rivers including the Wye, Elan, Marteg and Claerwen, which are vital to wildlife, recreation, heritage and the rural economy.

Recently they wrote to Rhayader Town Council asking them for a £100 donation to support their work locally.

A spokesperson for the Wye and Usk Foundation said: “Our rivers face growing pressures from pollution, habitat loss and climate change, impacting biodiversity, water quality and flood risk.

“Our independent monitoring which combines professional water quality testing and ecological surveys, provides robust, locally specific evidence to guide effective action. This evidence-led approach underpins our ethos: Investigate, Determine, Deliver, enabling us to prioritise and implement practical solutions such as habitat restoration, pollution reduction and natural flood management to enhance biodiversity and reduce downstream flood risk.

“In Rhayader, our work includes the Wye Soils Project, engaging citizen scientists, local schools and partner initiatives to support long-term catchment recovery and demonstrate how farming, flood resilience and river restoration can work together.

“We are also supporting landowners to install Natural Flood Management measures and working with farmers as they transition into the Sustainable Farming Scheme. “

They said a contribution would help sustain essential monitoring, deliver targeted restoration and natural flood management projects, and engage local people in safeguarding their rivers for future generations.

The town council considered the letter and Councillor Clare Evans said: “There is so much concern about our rivers and this is a local environmental charity.”

Members agreed to give the foundation a £100 grant and they will invite a representative to attend a town council meeting to talk to members about their work.

For more information about the foundation’s work and its impact across the catchment, https://wyeuskfoundation.org.