This CTA falls almost entirely within the Mend the Gap programme area. Part of the Thames floodplain, it hosts examples of fen, swamp and reedbed and includes both South Stoke Marsh, an important site for birds and invertebrates and the largest area of wetland along the Thames in Oxfordshire, and Cholsey Marsh, a riverside haven of some 19 hectares nestled just east of Cholsey village. Home to important marsh habitat and managed by Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) Cholsey Marsh is a sensitive site that is also enjoyed by humans – the Thames Path National Trail passes through on its way from Wallingford to Goring, and a public slip way intersecting the reserve draws visitors in the summer.

Mend the Gap is funding BBOWT to deliver a number of activities to support the management of not just Cholsey Marsh reserve, but the wider CTA land that runs north and south from this point along the river. This includes surveying the nationally rare Desmoulins whorl snail which is believed to have a colony here, and gathering a set of baseline data for the snail that will allow any populations to be monitored going forward.

One of the most exciting developments is the appointment of a Project Officer, funded by Mend the Gap and hosted by BBOWT. Phil Bruss, who was previously reserve warden with BBOWT at College Lake in Buckinghamshire will be managing the works on Cholsey Marsh and engaging with local private landowners in this CTA, helping them to access funding pots that can be used to support nature recovery work. It is expected that by the end of this project (which is anticipated to run until Spring 2026) and by working closely with the Oxfordshire Wildlife Sites Project, jointly run by BBOWT and TVERC, at least four Local Wildlife Sites in this CTA will have been left with new management plans in place, leaving a positive legacy for this important riverside CTA. BBOWT will also work with parish councils and local volunteer groups to carry out works and establish monitoring in the area.

Mend the Gap is a joint programme of the Chilterns and North Wessex Downs National Landscapes, and the Railway Action Group. The vision of the Mend the Gap programme is that the outstanding national landscape that links the Chilterns and the North Wessex Downs will be enhanced and enriched for wildlife, residents and visitors, helping to heal and soften the scars left by electrification of the Great Western mainline. Find out more on their website.

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