Lead organisation
Partner organisations
Project description
Four chalk streams. Hundreds of communities. A shared ambition to make our rivers places where everyone can connect, explore and belong.
Chalk Stream Connectors is led by the South East Rivers Trust, with support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and is working to bring local communities closer to the Wandle, Cray, Darent and Hogsmill. The project is starting by listening. Exploring what helps or prevents people from accessing and enjoying their local rivers, particularly groups who are often underrepresented in green and natural spaces.
Older people, carers, young people, people with disabilities or mental health conditions, and people from ethnically diverse communities will help shape the project through collaboration with community consultants who understand their experiences and needs. Local organisations will also bring their knowledge of the rivers, their histories and the places that matter to their communities.
The project is about more than access. It is about building relationships with our chalk streams and giving more people the opportunity to care for them. Local organisations will be supported through microgrants to deliver activities that improve river quality and help people connect with their local stream. Any physical changes will only be made with the permission of the relevant landowners and managers.
The development phase runs until March 2027, when the partnership plans to apply for the next delivery phase. If successful, delivery could begin in July 2027, taking forward what communities have told us and turning ideas into action.
Project location
Chalk Stream Connectors spans four chalk streams—the Hogsmill, Wandle, Cray and Darent—with a particular focus on communities across South London.
Each river has its own character, history and communities, but they share the same challenge: making sure everyone has the opportunity to experience, value and care for these remarkable chalk landscapes.
Contribution to Big Chalk
Chalk streams are part of the fabric of the landscape, and people are part of their future.
Chalk Stream Connectors supports the Big Chalk vision by making these rivers more accessible, inclusive and meaningful to the communities around them. By listening to people who are too often excluded from green and natural spaces, the project will identify the barriers that stand in the way of connection and the changes that could open the door.
Through community partnerships, microgrants, local knowledge and shared action, the project is building a stronger relationship between people and chalk streams. Supporting health and wellbeing while creating a wider community of people who know, value and care for these unique rivers.
Do you have a project that could strengthen the future of southern England’s iconic chalk and limestone landscapes?
The Big Chalk programme brings together a dynamic suite of partner-led projects, each unique in its focus, area, and partnerships but sharing a commitment to our collective vision.
If your project contributes to the Big Chalk mission, we invite you to register it as a Big Chalk Project. Registered projects gain access to networking, shared learning, and best practice—alongside the Big Chalk brand, boosting your profile and connecting you to a powerful, growing network of partners.
Together, these projects form a united effort to secure the future of southern England’s chalk and limestone landscapes, making a lasting impact for nature and communities.