Western Sussex Rivers Trust (wsrt)

What Western Sussex Rivers Trust (wsrt) does

Western Sussex Rivers Trust (WSRT) is a registered environmental charity (charity number 1147477) founded in 2011 that protects and restores river catchments across Western Sussex, England. Operating under the Catchment Based Approach (CaBA) framework, WSRT is part of the national Rivers Trust movement and serves as the dedicated rivers trust for the Arun, Rother, Ems, Lavant, Hambrook and Aldingbourne Rife catchments. Its core activities span habitat restoration (35 hectares of planned floodplain reconnection, 2.6km of chalk stream restoration design, 1.8km of Upper Arun restoration), water quality monitoring through its River Guardians citizen science programme (250+ volunteers, 1,400+ River Health Surveys since 2024), community education (school sessions reaching ~1,500 children, Wet Wednesday Webinars, film nights, River Fest events with 300+ attendees), and convening multi-stakeholder partnerships (the Arun and Western Streams Catchment Partnership of 53 individuals from 33 organisations).

WSRT's product and service surface is programmatic rather than software-based: educational presentations and talks (Reimagining Rivers, Why Should We Cherish Our Chalk Streams, Wonderful Wetlands, River Guardians, How Healthy Is Your River, But What Can I Do About It, How Can We Revive the Rother), the River Guardians volunteer monitoring programme, River Health Scorecards as an accessible public data tool, and sub-brand projects including the Sussex Black Poplar Project (with Wakehurst Place, Kew) and the Soil SmARt farmer collaboration. The underlying technology is citizen science data collection combined with scorecard presentation layers translating chemical water quality and observational data into per-river snapshots.

WSRT's revenue model is a mix of charitable donations (one-time and recurring via the CAF Online platform), legacy gifts (gifts in wills), suggested-donation fees for presentations (£100-£150), event revenue (River Fest, duck races, film nights), and — most significantly — institutional grants including a £1.7M award from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2024 for the Downs to the Sea project and smaller grants from Chichester District Council, the Environment Agency's Fisheries Improvement Fund, and the Monday Charitable Trust. The organisation employs a small team of approximately 13 named staff including a CEO, Catchment Coordinator, Volunteer and Citizen Science Coordinator, two Chalk Stream Resilience Officers, two Water Champions, Rother Partnership Coordinator, Catchment Partnership Project Manager, Finance and Admin Manager and a Soil & Water Officer, headquartered in Fittleworth, West Sussex.

Name

Western Sussex Rivers Trust (wsrt)

Legal name

Western Sussex Rivers Trust

Website

https://wsrt.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Western Sussex Rivers Trust is a UK environmental charity that protects and restores river catchments across Western Sussex through citizen science water quality monitoring, habitat restoration, community events, and educational outreach to schools, parish councils, and partner organisations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Services

NAICS

Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene (WASH) Solutions (BPAGALAI)

Keywords

• River catchment restoration
• Citizen science monitoring
• Water quality testing
• Habitat conservation services
• Environmental education programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Fittleworth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: WSRT raises funds through donations via CAF Online platform, specific fundraising campaigns (e.g., Spring E.coli campaign targeting £2000), Big Give campaigns, and general donations from supporters
2. Legacy Gifts (Gifts in Wills): Charitable bequests left in supporters' Wills, allowing donors to leave percentage of estate or specific sums after providing for loved ones
3. Speaking Fees and Presentations: Minimum donation suggestions of £100-£150 for presentations and talks given by team members, ranging from 15-60 minutes
4. Event Revenue: Revenue generated from events such as River Fest, duck races, and film nights where local charities and causes benefit from ticket sales and activities
5. Government and Foundation Grants: Funding from government bodies and lottery-funded projects like National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Downs to the Sea project, Chichester District Council for Chalk Stream Officer roles

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

WSRT is a registered charity that restores and protects river catchments in Western Sussex through habitat restoration projects, the River Guardians citizen science water quality monitoring programme, and bookable educational talks and presentations. It also hosts the Arun and Western Streams Catchment Partnership and delivers community engagement events such as River Fest, clean-ups and film nights.

Product overview

Western Sussex Rivers Trust is a charitable rivers trust organization focused on river conservation and restoration in Western Sussex. Rather than a technology product portfolio, WSRT offers a suite of community engagement and education programs including educational presentations and talks on river conservation topics, the River Guardians citizen science volunteer program for water quality monitoring, River Health Scorecards for accessible river health data reporting, and community events such as film nights and river festivals. These programs work together to protect and restore riverscapes across the Arun, Rother, Ems, Lavant, Hambrook, and associated waterways in Western Sussex.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Arun and Western Streams Catchment Partnership: A catchment partnership hosted by WSRT, formed of 53 people representing 33 organisations working to improve rivers through integrated land and water management.
• River Guardians
• Sussex Black Poplar Project
• Soil SmART

Products and services

• River Guardians Programme A volunteer citizen science programme in which 250+ volunteers conduct water quality testing, Riverfly surveys, litter picking, balsam bashing and habitat restoration work across Western Sussex to monitor and improve river health.
• River Health Scorecards Accessible scorecards that combine chemical water quality data with observational wildlife, pollution and river characteristic data to provide easy-to-understand snapshots of each river's health for communities and stakeholders.
• Talks and Presentations Bookable educational talks and presentations delivered by WSRT team members to community groups, schools and organisations, covering topics such as Reimagining Rivers, chalk streams, wetlands, the River Guardians programme, the River Rother, river water quality and individual action. Suggested minimum donation £100-£150 depending on team member and duration (15-60 minutes).
• Community Events and Activities Public events including River Fest celebrations, duck races, community clean-ups, film nights and Wet Wednesday Webinars that raise awareness, funds and engagement with riverscapes in Western Sussex.

Quantifiable outcome

• River Guardians programme grown to 250+ volunteers
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southern WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater company supplying water and wastewater services in the region. WSRT works with Southern Water on catchment management, storm overflow reduction, and water quality improvement projects. They collaborate on the Arun and Western Streams Catchment Partnership and the Downs to the Sea project.
• Portsmouth WatercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWater supply company that abstracts water from aquifers feeding rivers like the Ems. WSRT advocates for reduced abstraction to protect chalk streams and collaborates on river protection initiatives.
• Arun and Western Streams Catchment PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership of 53 people from 33 organisations working to improve rivers across the catchment. WSRT hosts this partnership which includes environmental NGOs, water companies, local authorities, government agencies, landowners, angling clubs, and academia.
• Environment AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGovernment agency responsible for regulating water industry and safeguarding rivers. WSRT works with EA on pollution reporting, catchment management, and water quality monitoring through citizen science programmes.
• National TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation charity that owns land along rivers including stretches of the River Rother at Woolbeding. WSRT collaborates on river restoration projects on National Trust land.
• Wild Trout TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity dedicated to the protection and restoration of trout and salmon fisheries. WSRT partnered with Wild Trout Trust for practical habitat improvement days on the River Rother.
• Wakehurst Place, KewminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRoyal Botanic Garden working with WSRT on the Sussex Black Poplar project. Wakehurst Place serves as collection point for free black poplar tree distribution for conservation planting.
• The Final Straw FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity campaigning against plastic pollution. Partnered with WSRT on Lavant chalk stream clean-ups and River Fest events to address plastic pollution in rivers.
• South Downs National ParkminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational park authority that collaborated on Lavant chalk stream clean-ups and is part of the Rother Partnership action plan.
• Western Rother Beaver GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGroup including Environment Agency, Forestry Commission, farming and wildlife groups, National Trust, Natural England, NFU, RSPB, South Downs National Park Authority, Southern Water, Sussex Wildlife Trust, WSRT, and Wild Trout Trust exploring potential beaver release on Western Rother.
• Coultershaw MillminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHeritage site hosting River Rother Day events, showcasing water-powered industrial history along the river.
• Rother PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDiverse collection of stakeholders including South Downs National Park Authority, Southern Water, South Downs Trust, Chichester District Council working to improve water and soil quality of the River Rother through a ten-year action plan.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Kent Wildlife Trust: Neighbouring county wildlife trust with active chalk-stream and river projects on the River Medway. Same catchment-based community engagement model and similar reliance on lottery/grant funding.
• Surrey Wildlife Trust: County wildlife trust overlapping WSRT's South East catchment footprint with river restoration, community engagement, and citizen science programmes funded through similar Heritage and Environment Agency channels.
• Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust: Adjacent regional conservation charity working on chalk-stream and river restoration in neighbouring counties. Comparable mission and volunteer/community engagement model, with broader biodiversity remit.
• Sussex Wildlife Trust: County-level wildlife charity covering broadly the same Sussex geography as WSRT. Comparable in being a regional conservation charity but broader in remit (all wildlife, not just rivers) and significantly larger in staff and member base.

Broad incumbents

• The Rivers Trust: National umbrella body for the UK Rivers Trust movement of which WSRT is a member. Comparable because it represents the same overarching CaBA-based model at national scale, providing WSRT with shared resources and advocacy.

Direct peers

• South East Rivers Trust: Neighbouring UK Rivers Trust operating across Kent, Surrey and Sussex under the same CaBA framework. Most directly comparable peer given overlapping geography, similar rivers-trust mission, and shared volunteer citizen-science models.
• Thames21: London-based charity restoring the Thames catchment through volunteering, citizen science, and habitat projects. Directly comparable operating model — community-led river restoration, water-quality monitoring, and partnership with water companies — at a larger scale.
• Wessex Rivers Trust: Southern England Rivers Trust operating across Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire under the same national CaBA framework. Same volunteer, citizen-science, and partnership-with-water-company model.
• Wild Trout Trust: UK-wide charity focused on wild trout and salmon habitat — already a WSRT partner on Rother restoration work. Same rivers-restoration mission, volunteer-driven model, and similar funding mix (grants, donations).
• Sussex Ouse Conservation Society: Local Sussex charity dedicated to protecting and restoring the River Ouse. Very comparable narrow geographic focus, volunteer-driven approach, and water-quality monitoring remit.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/westernsussexrivers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Western Sussex Rivers Trust (wsrt)