We were very pleased to welcome Eloise Phillips to our team in May.
Eloise is now in the position of Catchment Coordinator, so we thought we’d catch up with her to find out more about her previous experience and aspirations for the new role…
What role have you come from?
Previously, I held the role of Communications Officer for Natural England, working on the Thames Basin Heaths Partnership mitigation project that aimed to protect the rare heathland areas across Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire, known as Special Protection Areas due to the nesting birds that call the heathland home.
I am also the Social Media and Events Coordinator for Friends of the South Downs, a membership charity based in Pulborough dedicated to the protection of the South Downs National Park, delivering vital projects from education to nature recovery across the Park.
What is your new role at the WSRT?
I am excited to be taking on the role of Catchment Coordinator for WSRT, working with the new Catchment Partnership Project Manager, hosting and facilitating the Arun and Western Streams Catchment Partnership.
Part of my role involves diversifying the partnership, exploring new ways of structuring and engaging it to make it even more dynamic and effective.
How have your first few weeks at WSRT been?
I have thoroughly enjoyed getting stuck in to the role, and how lucky am I to be working to help protect the riverscapes that flow through the South Downs, a landscape that I have grown up around.
A highlight of the first few weeks has been lunchtime walks down to a section of the Western Rother – I feel so lucky to be able to engage with and walk along a stretch of one of the rivers under our care at such a short distance from the office.
What made you apply for the role?
I applied for the role as I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to be working to protect the landscape that I have grown up in and around, and which I feel a connection to and a desire to protect.
As an experienced communicator, I felt drawn to the role and excited by the opportunity to further something as vital as the catchment partnership.
What do you think are going to be the challenges of this role?
Securing landowner buy-in where they may be sceptical of river restoration in rural areas.
Do you have a favourite river-focused memory?
I spent the spring and summer of 2025 monitoring water voles in ditches near a patch of the Aldingbourne Rife near my home. Seeing these amazing little creatures thriving meant that Kate (Chalk Stream Resilience Officer - Aldingbourne & Lavant) and I could carry out a water vole survey on the site to ensure that the population was recorded.
To date what is your most-memorable water based nature spot?
The Ellanore spit in East Wittering is a hotspot for birdwatching where you can find curlews and oystercatchers, just to name a few, with some of the most spectacular saltmarsh views along the coastal path.
Outside of work what do you like to do?
I spend a lot of time walking on the Downs, with my family and dog Billy!