Bidwell Brook Research Symposium

Bidwell Brook Living Laboratory Research Symposium

With thanks to the Bidwell Brook Partnership and Westcountry Rivers Trust for organising and hosting such a fantastic event.

Friends of the Dart were invited to attend the Bidwell Brook Living Laboratory Research Symposium on 21st January, which brought together academic and industry partners from across the Living Laboratory network. We heard a range of inspiring and informative talks from leading researchers at the University of Plymouth, University of Exeter and the University of the West of England, alongside the Westcountry Rivers Trust.

Presentations covered a wide variety of projects taking place across Bidwell Brook and the wider River Dart catchment, including testing new water quality monitoring technologies, investigating the impacts of combined sewer overflows (CSOs), and exploring how nature-based solutions can be scaled up to reduce pollution.

The day concluded with collaborative workshops focused on strengthening partnerships between universities, environmental organisations and community groups.

We were delighted to contribute a talk on our water quality monitoring work during 2025, and how this has shaped our plans for monitoring in 2026. Thank you again to the Bidwell Brook Partnership and Westcountry Rivers Trust for hosting such a brilliant and inspiring event, and for inviting us to take part.