20th May 2018

The willow is growing! Fresh shoots and leaves and the banks are covering over too. Brilliant.

20th April 2018

The Forest of Bradford men (Ian, Matt and Colin) are extending the spiling downstream by 5m to make a smoother tie in to the line of the bank. Where the spiling formerly ended, the current was washing away material from behind it.

10th April 2018

After a very wet winter, snow and high water levels, the spiling is sprouting shoots.

9th March 2018

Spring, and the spiling has survived high flows. Here are Environment Agency staff having a look. The bottom curve which takes the brunt of the river's energy, initially suffered some scouring but now is accumulating material including large pebbles. Also, it's nice to see the bare earth beginning to green over.

Water safety training for the work force

Water awareness training for the chaps at Bradford and Bingley Canoe Club's grade 2 rapids. Rescue 3 provided the expertise for the lads who works close to and often in moving water.

4th January 2018

High winter river levels bring debris floating downstream. The spiling is collecting debris and where grass is growing (already) the soil has stayed in place. One area that takes the most pressure has caught debris but behind, top-soil is being washed away. This is a problem that needs addressing.

10th November 2017

Bradford Environmental Education Service plant more young trees to stabilise the bank and provide habitat. These trees willl eventually act as a barrier to the large logs - whole trees in fact - which are brought downstream when the river is in flood. In recent years whole trees have lodged on the bridge. Now, they might not get that far.

1st November 2017

The Forest of Bradford team and the completed living willow wall with the lower tier now filled in with earth. All that remains to do is to take off the blue string and take their tools away. Tools? Loppers, crowbar, sledge hammer, a post driver, some saws, spades, rakes and a wheel barrow.

1st November 2017

It's looking near completion but here Matt is weaving short pieces of willow into any spaces, to make sure the wall is as dense as we can make it. Notice the brash infill.

1st November 2017

The chaps are cutting the posts down so they don't stick up. Notice the weaving is three one way, three the other. The blue string is to mark the height of infill needed. Earth came from what Simon Thornton had dug with his digger as well as more from the bank to make a smoothly domed profile.

27th October 2017

Scenic view of leading end. The spiling is woven into the river bank to make a smooth transition from bank to basketwork.

24th October 2017

Tadaa! Two tiers of willow spiling. The infill is brash and then covered with earth which is trodden down to make it firm.

22nd October 2017

Heavy rain brought high water but work continued. Matthew, John and Ian start weaving in the lengths of willow. The lengths were woven into place and pressed down to the river bed using the technigue of standing on them. There's our post driver bottom left.

Hand tools! We took a very gentle approach to the river banks to avoid unnecessary disturbance. Machinery would have done too much damage and destabilised the banks.