In a change to our original programme brought on by health reasons for the originally-scheduled speaker, David Banks of the NT Volunteer Talks Service gave us a fascinating talk about the impact that climate change is starting to have on the Skell Valley and the Fountains/Studley Royal estate.
Although the River Skell is only 12 miles long, from Dallowgill Moor, through the NT estate, to the
River Ouse in Ripon, the heavy bursts of rain we have experienced since 2020 have caused waist-high flooding at times, putting the foundations of Fountains Abbey, and the Water Gardens at Studley under threat. Ancient trees have been lost, and bridges damaged. Silt from eroded river banks upstream fills the water gardens and exacerbates the problem.
Four years of The Skell Valley Project of the NT, working with “Nidderdale Natural Landscapes” and 16 other different organisations including many farmers and volunteers, has built “leaky dams”,to 
catch debris and restrict flow, installed 6.2km of riverside fencing so far, planted 23,000 trees and 4.4km of hedges, and built five additional ponds to catch water. All this helps build climate resilience in the area. Encouraging schools and the public to learn about and care for their local environment shows it is ALL our heritage, which we will want to appreciate for a long time to come.
Thank you, David.