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Our Mission:

A community group committed to returning the River Cale to a self-sustaining ecosystem that is rich in bio-diversity and to be enjoyed by all.

News

Calendar contributions….

‘Jackdap’, sincerely hope you see this post, Wincanton Postie who, over the past year or so has captured some amazing wildlife photos from the Wincanton and Cucklington area on his round. First off, your photos are amazing, secondly, thank you so much for your donation of a significant amount of calendars featuring your work to C.A.T.C.H. to help raise funds for the group and thirdly, what an inspiration, pretty sure everyone who sees this will be amazed at your talent and kindness, this will be a massive help in raising awareness of not only C.A.T.C.H.’s work but also what lies … ...read the rest

September Kick Sample

Kick sampling – a new month, a new season and as the year changes so do the ‘finds’, from each sample. Plenty of Cranefly larvae to be found. As the knowledge of the group grows so do the identification skills, Janice and Baz were pretty amazing today.

… ...read the rest

Auchres ( Hawkers) Bridge

This evening was a lot of fun, and bit by bit we turn our little part of the town into a more attractive and interesting place to be. The support we get from the town is sometimes overwhelming and please remember that if you fancy getting involved, we don’t bite!

The sign that was replaced tonight was donated by CATCH to the town from funds raised from sources such as the Environment Agency, The Wild Trout Trust, the Town Council, and not forgetting jumble sales. Pub quiz donations, and even people’s wages from working at Glastonbury all form part of … ...read the rest

Himalayan Balsam Bash

Fancy an early evening walk upstream of Shatterwell Chutes to pull Himalyan Balsam?

This is a treat for anyone interested in the River Cale as it will allow a rare glimpse of the river above Shatterwell Chutes towards the source at Pensellwood.

Contact Matt Bishop on 07713 998973 if you fancy joining in – 7pm till 9:30pm – Please note this task requires negotiation of uneven ground and potential river entry.… ...read the rest

Mapping, pulling, and counting….all in a days work!

Last Saturday a few small teams of volunteers performed some pretty excellent work on the Cale.

One group set about performing a ‘Kick Sampling’ exercise – measuring the invertebrate levels which indicates the health of the river (more so than just observing water quality apparently).

The second group made their way upstream through the town and have now mapped out all outfalls into the towns section of the Cale between the A303 bridge and Shatterwell Chutes. We now know that there are over 50 points where drainage of one kind or another enters the stretch. We were surprised too but … ...read the rest

CATCH Committee boosted

We now have the pleasure of announcing four new Committee members. Through their continued commitment to attending events and showing a true caring for our little river, the following people have accepted our offer to further bolster the group’s continually growing activity:

New CATCH Committee members elected:

Baz Horseman – Member
Ben Tooth – Member
Chris Heal – Member
Seb Davis – Member

WELCOME, and GOOD LUCK TO THEM – Matt Bishop – CATCH Vice Chairman… ...read the rest

Trout in the Town!

Something to aspire to as a group back in 2012 was not only to clean up the river but to make it a habitat that even the fussiest of fish would enjoy…..Well, there is a fish that has become more popular than the CATCH Chairman, Gary Hunt, buying a round at the local pub, and that is the presence of our showpiece, a ‘Brown Trout’.… ...read the rest

Balsam Bashed…..

A another successful mornings adventure on the River Cale, completing a ‘Himalayan Balsam Bash’ with volunteers from Shatterwell Chutes down to Hawkers bridge near Lidl’s.
There’s been more highs than lows…..less Balsam than previous years (👍🏻), a litter pick completed on the way down, lots of fish seen, four footballs rescued and placed in the MUGA for kids to find and play with, plastic covers removed from a now grown blackthorn hedge, blockages dealt with, rock berms rebuilt, and many more.
Shame to see areas of ‘fly-tipping’ but the culprits will be reported to the EA and they can be … ...read the rest