April 3rd, 2023
Tribute to ARRT Trustee John Archer
John Archer, who died in February, served as a Trustee of ARRT since it was formed eleven years ago. He fulfilled many roles in making the Trust into the force that it is today. As a very kind and thoughtful person, his contributions to the boardroom debate were always carefully considered and steadfastly delivered. His abundant common sense, energy and humour, along with his keen eye for detail meant he was a great Trustee and colleague.
Before joining the ARRT Board John spent an eventful career in the Royal Navy, and later worked for the NFU. He thrived on meeting and helping farmers develop their relationship with the streams and rivers near their farms. He masterminded the creation of a farmer group in order to initiate mutual help and support between neighbours. This earned him many friends in the community. His good nature and light touch defused many a difficult situation.
He also brought his diplomatic skills to bear on the water companies in West Sussex. He earned their respect with his good-natured insistence on them adopting responsibility for the environment and being seen as participants in a joint endeavour for better water quality in the rivers and rifes.
John will be greatly missed by all that knew him, and especially ARRT. Our thoughts are with John’s wife Kim, his family, and friends.
March 2023
November 1st, 2022
Aldingbourne Rife Project
Improving and Protecting the Aldingbourne Rife
The Aldingbourne Rife is a vitally important wildlife corridor that connects the South Downs National Park to the Chichester
Coastal Plain, providing...
November 12th, 2021
Surveying The Arun
Part of our Upper Arun River Revival project is to survey the River Arun from its source, north of Horsham, ~50km downstream to Pallingham which is the tidal extent of the river. The surveys...
October 27th, 2020
Wild Swimming With Penny Wort
In mid-September, I donned my drysuit and floated on my first wild swim of the year in the upper River Arun near Horsham. My company was Penny Wort who hails from North America, with...
July 23rd, 2020
One Flush And We Forget!
Country smells
Sewage and water are inextricably linked. If the one is not handled properly it can pollute the other which is why the Arun & Rother Trust is so interested in waste as well as...
June 5th, 2020
Looking Forward To Getting Back To Our Rivers
June 16th is probably the most important date in a river anglers’ diary, it is the day when we can fish our rivers again after a three month break. This break is called the close season and was...
March 10th, 2020
Riverfly Partnership News
ARRT invites volunteers to undertake river monitoring to get to know their rivers better and aid future improvements and enjoyment. The Trust is investing in citizen science through the River Fly...
January 20th, 2020
Farmers Trial Smartphone App for Land Management
I thought New Year would be a great time to take stock of the progress made by the Rother Valley Farmers Group (RVFG) since its launch in 2018. I’ve certainly found it two incredibly rewarding...
