This academic year, children from seven schools throughout the Wandle Valley have taken part in our Trout in the Classroom programme and last month they released their fry into the River Wandle. Special aquaria were set up in each school in November 2010, ready for trout eggs to be delivered to the children at the beginning of 2011. The children have been carefully rearing the trout and now the hatchlings have grown big enough to be released into the river.

The Wandle was once a famous trout fishery but, sadly, all the trout (as well as most other life in the river) died out in the 1930s due to pollution. School children have been working with us to reintroduce the trout since 2001/2 and we are delighted to report that we have recently found confirmed evidence that the trout are reproducing in the river at Hackbridge for the first time in over 80 years.

In addition to Thames Water’s support as part of the Living Wandle project, we are very grateful to Sutton Council for providing seed funding for 4 schools from Sutton to take part this year. Sutton is one of 3 national vanguard councils in the government’s Big Society initiative and they are keen to promote Trout in the Classroom as part of this involvement. Each school raised some additional funds to take part, and some schools have also been supported by local businesses.

The schools taking part are: · Merton: Benedict Primary · Sutton: Avenue Primary, Culvers House Primary, Stanley Park High, Sutton Grammar · Wandsworth: Furzedown Primary, Thomas’s Clapham