Members of DorsetCAN have been instrumental in setting up and running a number of local river groups across Dorset. DorsetCAN aims to act as a ‘clearinghouse’ to share information, knowledge and resources between these river groups.

If you want to:

• Join a local river group (or find out how to start one)
• Learn more about Citizen Science river monitoring
• Get ideas on how to create a River Charter

Or have other questions about rivers and beaches, please contact one of the coordinators.

River Groups

All across Dorset there are community-led river projects (some are just outside the county but watersheds are administratively promiscuous) Follow the links for more info and to JOIN! (If yours isn’t listed – please send us details):

• River Asker Community Project

• Bridport Rivers Catchment Group

• Cerne Valley Project

• River Char Community Project

• River Char Action Group

• Connecting the Culm

• Dorset Catchment Partnerships

• DWT’s Dorset Wild Rivers scheme

• Friends of the River Frome

• River Kit monitoring group (Chardstock ECO Group)

• River Lim Action Group

• Health of the River Piddle 

• Poole Harbour catchment initiative

• River Stour Catchment Initiative

• River Tarrant Rehabilitation Project

• Winniford River Action Group

• Clean Rivers of West Dorset (CROWD)

• Friends of the River Axe

Events:

Our recent zoom event ‘Cleaning up Dorset’s Rivers: How to take action Locally’ took place on the 13th May 2025, with over 40 participants.

If you were unable to attend or want to rewatch the zoom event, the recording is available here.

A set of guidance notes has been produced for new and established river action groups in Dorset, which is available here and also the notes from the breakout rooms are available here.

Online Meetings are held annually.

In January 2024 a Dorset CAN Rivers event brought together three leading speakers on the subject, plus representatives from a dozen local rivers. Please ask if you’d like to see the speakers’ presentations and watch the recording of the Zoom event.

Speakers were: Simon Browning, The Rivers Trust; Dominic Acland, Environmental Consultancy; Ian Rees, West Dorset Rivers & Coastal Streams Catchment

Please contact us for the next meeting’s Zoom link and agenda email dorsetcan@gmail.com

Upcoming Events are posted on our Events Page