On Saturday 20 & Sunday 21 August, our team at Bowker MINI Blackburn hosted their first event to support conservation and environmental improvements on the River Ribble and its associated tributaries. 

At both events, staff joined forces with their customers to volunteer for Ribble Rivers Trust. Whilst neither centre is a stranger to working with charities, it was the first time they had collaborated with customers to work together on local conservation.

Bowker MINI in Blackburn went brash bundling along Bashall Brook, near Bashall Eaves. Brash bundles are used to protect the riverbank from further erosion. Bundles are created from coppiced Willows and act as natural barriers, dispersing the energy of the river water, and providing habitat for fish and invertebrates.

For Bowker MINI, Amy Lancaster-Hall, Group Marketing Manager, said: “MINI is built on Big Love, and we’re on a mission to make life brighter. Two little words with the power to inspire a world of change. Many of our staff and customers live locally and enjoy the Lancashire countryside for recreation and leisure pursuits. Ribble Rivers Trust created two great events. We learned so much about their mission and this is just the start of our volunteering with them.”

Last month Bowker MINI made their Big Love Pledge to deliver conservation improvements in the Ribble catchment to benefit people, wildlife and the environment.

Bowker MINI has collaborated with Ribble Rivers Trust to create the volunteer events. Ribble Rivers Trust is involved in a number of important conservation activities in the Ribble catchment area. Volunteers will be involved in organised support which may include tree planting, clean ups, fencing, and brash building using wood from fallen trees.

Jack Spees, chief executive for Ribble Rivers Ribble Trust, said: “Thank you to Bowker MINI staff and customers for joining us on two of our conservation events. Volunteers are incredibly important to us. They are a vital work force in helping to deliver improvement to the environment, and the eyes and ears of this vast area! 

“Bowker MINI staff and customers made a huge difference by collecting litter and plastic in Penwortham and brash bundling in Bashall Eaves. It was the perfect blend of the great outdoors and meeting like-minded people; not forgetting gaining experience and learning new skills. 

“The events we created for Bowker MINI represent a small but important part of the Trust’s work. With over 3,114 miles of rivers and streams in the catchment there is always a lot to do.”

The Bowker MINI volunteering pledge forms part of a national initiative launched by MINI UK called Big Love. MINI retailers nationally have submitted a unique Big Love pledge. Each pledge is an ongoing commitment to each retailer’s local community. This simple promise encourages centres to build partnerships with local organisations, like Ribble Rivers Trust, to deliver help and support.

Ribble Rivers Trust is a local charity working to improve, protect and promote the River Ribble for both people and wildlife.  Based in Clitheroe, the Trust works with the public and private organisations to deliver river improvements. Projects can take place across the entire Ribble catchment for the benefit of local people and the environment.

If you’re interested in volunteering for Ribble Rivers Trust, find out more by visiting https://ribbletrust.org.uk/volunteer/