Awareness - The Quiet Success of this Year

If I had to choose one word to describe this year on the Teign, it would be awareness. Not the passive kind, but the sort that grows through conversations, shared observations, chance encounters on footpaths, and the simple act of people taking a bit more notice of the river.

It’s been a year where awareness has risen not in great leaps, but in lots of smaller, encouraging ways, and together they’ve shaped how the catchment feels as we head into next year. Awareness didn’t just happen; it came through engagement.

Challenges that Spark Conversation

The catchment has certainly given us plenty to talk about this year. No rain for months, hotter summer temperatures, then a month’s rainfall in a day. A bank quietly reshaping itself overnight in a spate, fish holding somewhere unexpected - each observation has gently nudged people to pause and wonder exactly what might be going on.

What’s been truly encouraging is how often these small observations have sparked conversation. I’ve had walkers stop to ask whether a fallen tree was helping or hindering flow. Random visitors asking if I was OK whilst peering motionless over the side of a bridge! Volunteers comparing notes about what they’ve noticed where they live within the catchment.

And then there were the pub conversations - obviously my favourite of all - where complete strangers debated whether the fish spotted below a bridge was a salmon or a sea trout, all using hand gestures far too big for the space available!

These are small interactions, but each one is a sign of awareness deepening. People are not just seeing the river; they’re thinking about it, questioning it, and, with each interaction, learning how it responds to the world around it. That’s how awareness spreads - quietly, conversationally, and often over a drink.

Engagement through Projects & Partnerships

A big part of this year’s growing awareness has come from simply joining up the dots. The catchment isn’t shaped by one organisation or project, but by a whole network of people who genuinely care.

Whether it was a bankside meeting in the rain, a presentation to a packed room, a data review with partners, or just an informal catch-up beside a muddy vehicle, each moment has helped build a more complete picture of the river. Every conversation became a chance to compare notes, share findings, and recognise how interconnected our work really is.

Working alongside other like-minded organisations has been a genuine highlight. There’s something energising about realising that others are facing similar challenges, asking similar questions, and exploring solutions that complement our own. The more we talked, the more it became clear that no single group holds the whole story - but together, we get much closer to understanding it.

And importantly, these people didn’t just sit quietly and take it in - they engaged. They asked thoughtful questions, challenged assumptions, offered observations from their own sections of the river, and connected what they were learning to what they’d already seen on the ground.

That’s when awareness stops being a collection of facts and, through data collection, starts becoming a shared understanding. And that shared understanding is what strengthens the catchment.

Taking Notice & Taking Part

Perhaps the most noticeable shift this year has been the number of people who not only observed things along the river but also wanted to act on what they noticed. Walkers flagged up collapsing banks. Families reported sightings of wildlife. Volunteers spotted changes in flow patterns. Others became curious about insect hatches, weed growth, or water clarity.

It’s been a steady, heartening shift - people realising that the river’s story is not closed to them, it’s accessible to all and that they’re welcome to be part of it. Awareness opened the door, and engagement encouraged people to walk through it. And once people begin to understand the river, they naturally begin to care for it too.

What This Year Has Meant

For me, the most encouraging part of this year has been seeing rivers become a topic people feel comfortable discussing on all levels. Awareness has made the river more approachable. People ask deeper questions now and recognise patterns. They compare what they’ve seen from month to month. They’re certainly learning the language - sometimes fluently, sometimes tentatively, but always with genuine interest and good nature at heart.

When more people engage with rivers in this way, the rivers become more resilient. Potential problems are spotted earlier, opportunities are recognised sooner, and the river gains more guardians, each offering something different, all contributing in their own way.

That’s what this year has felt like - awareness spreading through engagement and connection.

A Thank You, and a Look Ahead

As we reach the end of another year, I want to simply say thank you. Thank you to everyone who stopped to ask a question, shared something they’d noticed, attended a talk, joined a volunteer day, or just took a moment to watch the water with a little more interest than before. Your awareness - however small it may have felt at the time - makes a difference. It has strengthened our understanding of the catchment and built a stronger sense of shared purpose.

And as we look ahead to next year, that rising engagement gives me genuine encouragement. The Teign catchment has its challenges, as all rivers do, but it now has more people noticing, caring and wanting to help than ever before.

Awareness has been the quiet success of this year - and with that foundation, next year already feels promising.