We are delighted to share the news that our SmartRivers, Beverley Brook citizen science volunteer group won the SmartRivers Group of the Year 2025 Award! SmartRivers is a citizen science program monitoring river health, run by the organisation WildFish. SmartRivers groups are monitoring 125 rivers in the UK, using freshwater invertebrates to make inferences about river water quality.

The award honours Anne Voss-Bark, a dedicated conservationist who worked tirelessly to protect wild fish and their habitats – values that SmartRivers groups embody every time they volunteer.

The WildFish team said: “With over 900 volunteer hours recorded in 2025, the Barnes Common group has blown us away with their commitment and attention to detail – especially in sample analysis and identification.”

“They chose SmartRivers to provide robust scientific monitoring for their restoration efforts on the Beverley Brook, and the data has been crucial in demonstrating the issues affecting the river. The group has used their SmartRivers reports and annual summaries to increase political awareness and build a stronger, evidence-based understanding of the river among key stakeholders.”

Our group lead, BCL Conservation Manager Will Dartnell said: “SmartRivers is a brilliant way for anyone involved to hugely increase their knowledge of a local river and improve their ID skills of aquatic invertebrates.”

The 2025 SmartRivers Progress Report is now out – you can read it here. Last year, 245 river sites were monitored through SmartRivers and 46 of these rivers now have four or more years’ worth of high-resolution ecological data. This data is essential for targeted conservation action that delivers long-lasting benefits to wild fish.