A man with a beard, wearing a zip-up fleece, leans on a gate in front of a field.

Danny Teasdale 

'The idea of Ullswater CIC is to prove that, by bringing the local community together with government and non-government organisations, we can build a more resilient catchment to not just flooding, but also climate change and nature declines.'

Danny Teasdale

Danny Teasdale set up Ullswater Catchment Management CIC after Storm Desmond ravaged Cumbria in 2015, particularly his home village of Glenridding.

The not-for-profit works to help improve flood resilience and prove it’s possible to restore nature in a way that complements sustainable farming.

Here's more from Danny: 

I set up Ullswater Catchment Management CIC (now known locally as Ullswater CIC) as a not-for-profit community interest company after Storm Desmond caused devastation in the village of Glenridding, where I live. 

The idea of Ullswater CIC is to prove that, by bringing the local community together with government and non-government organisations, we can build a more resilient catchment to not just flooding, but also climate change and nature declines. 

We are very supportive of local farming and believe that by working with and not against farming, we will stand the best chance to achieve our goals.  

We work with our local Environment Agency, Woodland Trust, National Trust and many others to deliver catchment-scale habitat improvements that complement sustainable food production.

Some examples of our work are:

  • re-meandering streams and rivers to allow better floodwater storage and improve the natural drainage of the land, whilst also improving habitat for fish.
     
  • Planting many kilometres of new hedgerow to connect up habitats, provide food and shelter for birds and insects and also provide shelter for farm livestock
     
  • excavating ponds and scrapes to make habitat for frogs and dragonflies, but also provide drinking water for livestock in drought times.
  • Running soil health and management workshops with local landowners to improve productivity, and also help with water infiltration to help with flood mitigation.

There are more projects on our website at www.ucmcic.com

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