13 July 2023
See and hear about an innovative and sustainable approach to land, water, and environmental management.
This is an in-person 2 hour walking tour of an award-winning pilot that re-introduced beavers to help reduce flooding. The Natural Flood Management Project is a partnership between Spains Hall Estate, the Environment Agency, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, Atkins, and Essex Wildlife Trust.
Spains Hall Estate Manager, Archie Ruggles-Brise, will lead the group to the original beaver enclosure and a flood meadow with artificial flood reduction structures. The chances of seeing the beavers are very low as they are very shy animals and hide during daylight hours.
There is the opportunity for further networking over lunch at one of the pubs or tea rooms in Finchingfield.
For further information on the scheme, listen to episode 6 (Season 4) of Planet Possible or visit the Spains Hall Estate website.
We welcome both CIWEM members and non-members at this technical site visit.
Please note that attendance will enhance your Continued Professional Development for CIWEM members.
The tour will depart at 10:00 am, so please arrive at least 15 minutes beforehand. Please note that this tour is unsuitable for those with reduced mobility due to the uneven and wet terrain that will be covered during the visit.
Part of the CIWEM Flood Resilience series.
Archie Ruggles-Brise
Archie Ruggles-Brise is the Spains Hall Estate Manager and is a Chartered Water and Environment Manager, with 20 years’ experience, a 1st Class Honours degree from Newcastle University in Applied Biology and a Master’s Degree in Rural Estate and Land Management. He manages the day to day running of Spains Hall Estate’s 860 hectares of ancient woodland, grassland, tenanted farms, holiday cottages and the natural flood management project. He is committed to transforming farming to take better care of the environment and providing greater habitats for wildlife on farmland.
Archie is a trustee of the Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust (having previously worked for the Rivers Trust), a Climate Change Panel member of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and advisor to both the Essex Climate Action Commission and Essex Local Nature Partnership. He also sits on the Braintree District Council Climate Change Working Group championing the rural environment. He also sits on the Anglian Eastern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee and helped found the North Essex Farm Cluster.
This event is open to members and non-members of CIWEM.
Please note there is limited capacity at this event. Bookings must be made through 'My CIWEM' using the above booking link and are only confirmed once you have clicked ‘proceed & submit’ in the cart and received a confirmation email. Should you be unable to attend the event after booking, please cancel to allow other delegates to take the place.
If you have any questions about your booking or would like to cancel your attendance, please contact barbara.woods@ciwem.org.
Please make sure you add this event to your calendar.
If you have any queries about this event, please contact Eddie Robinson at RobinsonADC@gmail.com.
The tour will start at 10:00 am, so please arrive at least 15 minutes beforehand. We will start at Finchingfield (North Essex) and cover 2 miles of flat, unpaved, uneven and wet terrain. This means the tour is unsuitable for those with reduced mobility.
As parts of the site are extremely wet (thanks to the beavers), wellington boots (or walking boots) and suitable weather-appropriate clothing are strongly advised.
There will be plenty of opportunities to stop, ask questions and stand, but there is no seating available.
Public toilets are available on Stephen Marshall Avenue, Finchingfield, CM7 4LZ
Travelling to the venue
As part of CIWEM’s commitment to tackling the climate and ecological emergency we would encourage delegates to use the most environmentally sustainable means of transport possible.
By Train
Braintree railway station is the nearest mainline railway station to Finchingfield.
By Bus | Coach
The no. 9 and 16A bus routes run to Finchingfield. Visit Arriva UK Bus (arrivabus.co.uk) for bus timetables.
By foot | cycle
Finchingfield Village Green is less than 3 minutes’ walk from the 9 and 16A bus stop. It is 10 miles from Braintree train station, taking approximately 1 hour if cycling.
By car
If you are coming by car, please consider sharing the journey with others to reduce your environmental footprint. There are on-road parking spaces near the Village Green.
As this is an in-person event, please remain vigilant to control the spread of COVID-19 and stay safe.
We would request that if you think you might have contracted COVID or have recently had the disease, that you do not attend this event.
With your business at the forefront of our minds, we offer a wide variety of sponsorship opportunities designed to raise your profile with CIWEM’s portfolio of events
Find out moreCIWEM supports a wide range of industry events that are of interest and benefit to our Members.
Find out more
CIWEM and CSL Ltd are part of the CIWEM Group.
CSL Ltd (CIWEM Services Limited). Registered in England and Wales. Company No. 3166701. Registered office address: 106-109 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QS.
CIWEM (The Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management) Registered Charity No. 1043409 (England & Wales) Registered Charity No. SCo38212 (Scotland). Registered office address: 106-109 Saffron Hill, London EC1N 8QS.
Site designed and developed by Studio Republic