Project

River Bollin Riverlands Project at Hare Hill

Last updated:: 27 January 2026

Parkland setting with a pond in the foreground and trees along the edge, reflecting in the water on a sunny day. — Pond between Hare Hill and Alderley Edge | © National Trust Images / Robert Morris

We’ve been improving the health of the River Bollin catchment in Cheshire. Since 2024, we’ve restored habitats at Dunham Massey, Hare Hill, Alderley Edge, Quarry Bank and Lyme as part of the Riverlands project.

What happened at Hare Hill?

At Hare Hill, we restored six ponds through dredging, felling and fencing, resulting in the improvement of 3.03 ha of land. We also restored 0.15km of watercourse at the cascades through balsam removal and installation of leaky dams and willow fascines.

Around 3,700 people took part in our ‘Water Wonders’ trail over summer 2025, where families explored the importance of water in the catchment through interactive hands-on play. An additional 100 people joined our partners, Mersey Rivers Trust, for a pond species exploration day.

Where is the River Bollin?

The River Bollin and its catchment meander through Cheshire and the southern fringes of Manchester, flowing by many places along the way, including Quarry Bank, Dunham Massey, Alderley Edge, Hare Hill and Lyme. The largely rural and agricultural nature of the catchment gives way to the city of Greater Manchester to the north.

What is the Riverlands project?

The River Bollin was part of our national Riverlands Programme which had the following three key aims:

Rivers and catchments that are healthy, clean and rich in wildlife.
Rivers and catchments that are easily accessed, valued and loved for their heritage and beauty.
Sustainable long-term care for rivers and catchments.

Throughout the project we restored 45 ponds and created 23 new ponds resulting in over 20ha of habitat improvement across Cheshire. We also improved 8.644km of watercourse and installed over 100 leaky dams. To complete this work, we had more than 1,830 hours of volunteering help and support.

We also worked with local communities to help them rediscover and reconnect with their rivers – as spaces for leisure and activity, to socialise, or simply take a walk beside the water and clear their minds. Across the project we engaged approximately 29,990 people through a range of workshops, events, and activity.

An investment of almost £1m from the Government's Species Survival Fund helped to support these projects, protect fragile ecosystems and create nature-rich landscapes. The fund was developed by Defra and its Arm's-Length Bodies. It was delivered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund in partnership with Natural England and the Environment Agency.

To find out more about some of our milestones across the project, look through the updates below.

Latest updates

21 January 2025

Findings from the Pond Mapping project

In 2023 the National Trust, Natural England and TEP began a study to look into existing and historical pond locations to help inform future pond restoration and creation opportunities.

We looked at 73,000Ha of land across the Bollin catchment and beyond in south Manchester and north Cheshire. We identified 6,087 ponds, 2,246 of which date back to c.1836-51. Unfortunately the study also showed that 7,239 ponds no longer exist in our landscape – a decrease of between 42% and 53% over the past 200 years.

However, we identified a further 674 possible new pond locations in the area. Using this data, we will support our landscape, wildlife and help fight the effects of climate change on our habitats and communities by restoring c.60 ponds as part of the Government’s Species Survival Fund, delivered by the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) on behalf of Defra.

Working in partnership with others, small interventions such as felling selective trees to let more light in, deepening areas of ponds and fencing out livestock will increase the biodiversity of these historic and natural landscapes.

An image of a small pond covered in branches and foliage. — Before example of a pond at Alderley Edge, Cheshire | © National Trust

An image of a healthy pond with lots of light coming through the thinned trees. — After example of a pond at Alderley Edge, Cheshire | © National Trust

Glossary of key terms

Catchment – the geographical area that supplies water to a main river or lake.

Culvert – a pipe or tunnel that moves water underground. Often this water would have naturally flown overground.

De culverting – removing the pipe or tunnel to allow the watercourse to return to a more natural state.

Ghost pond – an old pond that no longer exists because it has been filled in either naturally or by people.

Landslip – material that falls down a slope, usually smaller than a landslide. At Lyme, this material is man-made litter.

Tributaries – a river or stream that flows into a larger river or lake.

Watercourse – a stream of water (e.g. a river or a brook).

A close up of a kingfisher with a fish in its mouth perched on a branch

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Natural England is the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England. They help to protect and restore our natural world.

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