Agivey river project launched to forge links between communities and the natural world
A major new four-year project to grow relationships across the Agivey River catchment area has been launched.
Hare’s Corner Cooperative with Community Garden Support, Quarto Collective, Rural Community Network, Wild Awake and Wild Life launched the project to forge relationships between people, communities and the natural world.
The new Agivey River Communities (ARC) Project is being developed with a National Lottery grant of £701,925 and will connect people across the river catchment - from Garvagh Forest through the Sperrins to the River Bann - in a shared mission of creativity, care and community-led climate action.
Backed by The National Lottery Community Fund through the Climate Action Fund, the project marks the latest chapter in a growing environmental movement rooted in Garvagh Forest.
The project is being delivered in partnership with Ballerin GAC, Glenullin GAC, Moneydig Rural Network, St Paul’s Church of Ireland, Friends of Garvagh Museum,
Garvagh PS, Carhill IPS, Gorran PS, Kilrea PS, St Columba’s PS and St Patrick’s and St Joseph’s PS.
Hare’s Corner Cooperative Chair Kelly Pinkerton explained that the project will help local people rediscover the Agivey not just as a river, but as a lifeline for nature, heritage, wellbeing and community connection.
Kelly said: “We see the Agivey River not simply as a waterway, but as a living system connecting communities, heritage, biodiversity and wellbeing. This project
is about reconnecting people with the river, with one another, and with the living systems that support community life.
“ARC is the next chapter in a journey that began in Garvagh Forest and has grown through creativity, care and shared stewardship. We are deeply grateful to The
National Lottery Community Fund and to National Lottery players for making this work possible.”
The new project will create opportunities for schools, community groups, local organisations and neighbouring institutions to work together in fresh ways, using
creative activity, shared learning, events and exchange to strengthen ties between people and place.
Kelly added that the message at the heart of ARC is simple: when communities are given the space to imagine, create and care together, real ecological change can happen.
Anyone interested in taking part in the project can get in touch with the Hare’s Corner Cooperative by [email protected].