For 150 years, the River Mease in the Midlands had been subjected to a series of questionable human interventions that left its habitats in shambles. But in 2013, a restoration project began, and now the wetlands are apparently so abuzz with wildlife that you'd think they'd hired a PR firm.
"A noisy river is a healthy river," declares Ruth Needham of the Trent Rivers Trust (TRT), presumably not referring to the kind of noise that comes from nearby traffic. The Mease is currently gurgling merrily along, with sunlight glinting off riffles in the water and shoals of fry darting about like they're late for a meeting. Needham was so thrilled by the tiny fish that she whipped out her phone to video them, noting that her colleagues will be "jumping for joy" - a reaction that suggests either genuine ecological passion or a very low bar for workplace excitement.
Needham's buoyancy is justified: last month, the Mease won the UK River prize 2026, an award established by the River Restoration Centre in 2014 to acknowledge innovative projects. The prize recognizes the trust's 13-year restoration campaign. "The prize has been a massive boost," says Needham, adding with a hint of ambitious optimism: "If we can get the Mease into better condition, we can improve other rivers, too." Which is either a noble goal or a thinly veiled threat to every other river in England.