Lucy Wood reports…
SPALDING Reconnected, which began in 2022, is nearing completion this month. Coir roll sand floating islands have now been installed along the riverbank by High Bridge in the town, planted with plants including yellow flag iris and purple loosestrife to brighten up the area in spring and summer as well as provide food and refuge for fish, birds and invertebrates.
Over the past three years, the team behind Spalding Reconnected worked closely with local people at heritage workshops, free arts activities and during volunteering opportunities to deliver outputs including a series of living willow artworks, an environmental education programme with local schools (the Eels in the Classroom initiative), floating eco-systems and wildflower planting, enhanced waymarkers and the Spalding Heritage Strategy, which envisions the future of heritage in the town over the next 10 years.
The project, which had particular emphasis on Spalding’s picturesque riverside following public feedback, brought together the arts, environmental education, riverside improvement, heritage and wayfinding initiatives to reconnect the river with the historic town centre.
It was developed and delivered by South Holland District Council, Heritage Lincolnshire, Transported, East Mercia Rivers Trust and Landmark, with expertise from Lincolnshire County Council, with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players via a £250,000 award.
Patricia Oliveira Antunes, Welland project manager at East Mercia Rivers Trust, said: “It’s been fantastic to be a part of the Spalding Reconnected project, celebrating the River Welland, an important natural and historical asset of the town.
“We worked with local schoolchildren to teach them about the European eel, a fascinating and critically endangered species which is closely intertwined with the heritage of the region.
“The river channel improvements will offer refuge and food resources for wildlife along an artificial part of the riverbank, greening the area. These features, along with wildflower patches planted by kind volunteers, are complemented nicely by new riverwalk artwork.”
To mark the end of the scheme, a tour of the riverwalk was held on February 8, which included talks and live music.
Katy-Jayne Lintott, project manager (conservation and heritage) for Heritage Lincolnshire, said: “It’s been fantastic to support this transformational project for Spalding, celebrating the town’s unique history and heritage. The collaborative and creative approach taken by project partners and local people has been inspiring and is testament to what can be achieved when nature, arts and heritage initiatives come together.”
