Lead organisation
Partner organisations
Project description
Our Healthy Headwaters is a five-year community-driven initiative dedicated to protecting the headwaters of the Hampshire Avon, one of the UK’s precious chalk stream ecosystems. Funded by Wessex Water’s Partners Programme, the project inspires local communities to take meaningful action at home and in their surroundings, ensuring that these fragile rivers thrive for generations to come.
The initiative focuses on four key areas:
- Save every drop: Encouraging water-saving habits and highlighting the connection between everyday water use and river health.
- Pet medications: Reducing the impact of flea treatments on aquatic life by promoting eco-friendly alternatives.
- What’s going down your plughole?: Raising awareness about everyday chemicals—from cleaning products to medications and garden treatments—that can harm our rivers.
- Septic smart: Promoting responsible septic tank maintenance to prevent groundwater and river pollution.
Alongside education and engagement, the project will conduct chemical testing at the start and end of the initiative to track pollutants and measure the impact of local actions over time. By combining science, awareness, and hands-on participation, the project empowers communities to see the difference they can make.
Running from summer 2025, Our Healthy Headwaters has already secured funding, appointed an engagement officer, and begun finalising its strategy. Campaign launch, awareness-building activities, and the creation of engagement materials will soon follow, connecting communities directly to the rivers that shape their landscape.
Project location
The project engages communities across the headwaters of the Hampshire Avon, including the towns and villages of Warminster, Tisbury, Tidworth, and the outskirts of Salisbury, along with surrounding rural areas. Focused on community hubs and their local catchments, the project ensures that every resident has the opportunity to connect with their rivers.
Contribution to Big Chalk
Aligned with Big Chalk’s vision, Our Healthy Headwaters empowers communities to protect and restore chalk river ecosystems through behaviour change, education, and active participation. From reducing chemical use in homes and gardens to celebrating rivers through art, films, podcasts, and workshops, the project nurtures a deeper sense of pride and stewardship. Volunteer opportunities, citizen science, and local events provide hands-on ways for residents to experience the river, while chemical monitoring creates an evidence base to guide future engagement and action. By linking community understanding with tangible environmental outcomes, the project is helping rivers and people flourish together.
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.