A LOCAL conservation charity is launching a new project to celebrate local chalk streams and ash trees.

The ‘Living by The Ash Tree Waters’ project is the latest effort by Andover Trees United and will take place from April through to July 2022.

The project aims to celebrate local chalk streams and the Ash Trees that grow alongside them, and from which Andover derives its name, through art and music.

The project will involve a series of artist led walks in Andover, Appleshaw and Vernham Dean.

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Participants will be equipped with backpacks designed by participating school children, which will contain all the tools needed to create an artistic response to the landscape.

A further series of workshops will invite participants to learn and perform traditional folk music, with a focus on locally collected songs, from Andover’s stream-related heritage.

The project has been funded through the Watercress and Winterbourne Landscape and Partnership Scheme and is being delivered in conjunction with place-based artist James Aldridge and folk musician Paul Sartin.

ATU and James Aldridge previously collaborated on the Ash Tree Stream project, where local school children used visual arts to learn about Ash trees and the destructive Ash dieback disease.

James said: “It is hoped that by celebrating the trees and the chalk stream, participants will notice and engage with their river environments, developing habits of ‘seeing’ that they will take with them on future walks and explorations and develop a fondness and need to protect this threatened habitat.”

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England contains 85% of the world’s 200 chalk streams, many of which are found in Hampshire.

However, due to the pollution of water courses due to chemical fertilisers from farming and other pollutants, these habitats are in decline.

The project aims to make residents more aware of this precious part of the local environment.

ATU founder and leader, Wendy Davis, said: “We are delighted to be working with James and Paul on this creative exploration of Andover’s chalk streams.

“This is a great opportunity for local residents to enjoy their local environment and get involved with one of our 10th year celebratory projects”.

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