THE RIVER Worth Friends have announced their second action-packed day to recruit new members and promote their work.

Activities will include a guided walk along the banks of the river to showcase its potential as a great asset to Keighley.

Members of the recently-formed group and supporters will also pick up litter along the banks.

There will also be a demonstration of Riverfly Monitoring – a ‘citizen science’ programme where members of the public can monitor a local river or stream by sampling riverflies from the river or stream bed.

Eight key species are counted and the data is uploaded to a national database.

Any change in the population could suggest potential pollution incidents, in which case the Environment Agency will be alerted.

Local residents came together to form the River Worth Friends to improve the state of the river and ensure it was valued by the community.

Philip Sheridan, the founding member of the group, said: “The aim is to raise the river’s status as a rich and diverse home for people, wildlife and business.

“The river might not look all that pretty in places but it has an abundance of plants, wild trout, grayling, kingfishers and river flies.”

Last autumn Dr Paul Gaskell from the Wild Trout Trust undertook an audit of the River Worth from its confluence with the River Aire upstream to the Woodhouse Road bridge.

The audit produced a number of recommendations which the Friends will use as a basis for progress in their work.

The latest event will take place on Saturday, April 7 between 10.30am and 1.30pm. Participants should meet in the car park at Dalton Mill on Dalton Lane.

The event will finish with a cuppa at Cafe Choux Choux based at Keighley railway station.

The activities are open to all ages, but children aged under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. Warm clothes and suitable footwear is recommended.

The River Worth Friends are funded by regeneration group, the Keighley Big Local Partnership, and supported by Muppett, the community development worker from Community Action Bradford and District, and the Aire River Trust worker Nick Milson.

Email philipsheridanflyfishing@gmail.com or visit facebook.com/RiverWorthFriends for further information.