River Trent

The River Trent is the third longest river in England, the second largest in terms of flow. The River has played a hugely important role in how the landscape and its people have developed over the centuries. Historically it divides the lowlands of the south from the uplands of the north. 

Today over 6 million people live in its catchment which occupies 8% of England. The cities of Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester and Derby all drain towards the Trent. Its source is high up in the Staffordshire Moorlands on the western edge of the Peak District. If flows through Staffordshire, Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and North Lincolnshire to the Humber Estuary where it reaches the North Sea. It has many significant tributaries including the Tame, Dove, Derbyshire Derwent and 100km's of other smaller rivers within its catchment. The land near the river and the water itself is important to a great many people as well as providing a haven for wildlife and an important landscape. The floodplains of the catchment are very productive for agriculture, sand and gravel, water storage and recreation. It is an important corridor for freight,  leisure boating and bird migration as well as providing a setting for a huge network of footpaths and bridleways.

To some the Trent is England's major forgotten river. At OnTrent we are seeking to recognise the many strengths and opportunities that lie within the catchment, working to create new ways of securing the future of this important river and its tributaries for future generations.