Through June and July, James Friend, the High Sheriff of Staffordshire, will be touring along the River Trent as it flows through the county. Supported by Transforming the Trent Valley (TTTV), a landscape partnership scheme headed by Staffordshire Wildlife Trust, the High Sheriff will walk, cycle and paddle the Trent raising money for The Community Foundation.
The High Sheriff and his family have already walked the first stage from the headwaters on Biddulph Moor. The tour will kick off in earnest on Thursday 24th June starting at Staffordshire University in Stoke-on-Trent where Staffordshire Wildlife Trust have carried out a major river enhancement work as part of the ERDF SUNRISE project to improve the diversity and habitat of the river channel.
The High Sheriff and members of the Transforming the Trent Valley team will then cycle from Stoke-on-Trent to Wolseley Bridge with the 22-mile cycle ride concluding at the Wolseley Centre, head office for Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.
Further stages of the tour will take place over the coming weeks including a walk along the canal through Rugeley to Kings Bromley and a walk along the Trent Valley Way into Burton. The tour will include visits to key project locations within the TTTV landscape, including a tour of the Riverside Park at the former Rugeley Power Station site, a visit to our river island restoration project at Cherry Holme and concluding with a Celebration Event on the Burton Washlands on Saturday 31st July.
James Friend, High Sheriff of Staffordshire said “I am pleased to be supporting the great work carried out by the Transforming the Trent Valley team and I am very much looking forward to exploring this beautiful stretch of countryside.
“With my Tour of the Trent I hope to raise money for the High Sheriff Fund administered by the Community Foundation for Staffordshire, formally established in 2008 to support and promote local community and voluntary activities. The Fund supports grass root organisations and smaller community groups in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent, and normally awards are made each year by the outgoing High Sheriff at a special ceremony.”
Louise Morris, Project Manager for Transforming the Trent Valley said “we are excited to join the High Sheriff on his tour and celebrate with him some of the fantastic work we have been carrying out over the last couple of years, thanks to our grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.”
For more information about the tour, visit our website https://www.thetrentvalley.org.uk/high_sheriff_tour.php which we will be updating this page with all the latest news and images from each stage of the tour.
To donate to the High Sheriff’s chosen charity, visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/HSStaffsFund2021