Trustees Annual Report Year Ending 30 Nov 2025
Our Aims
1 Monitoring the water quality in the River Great Ouse through Bedfordshire.
2 Identifying the nature and sources of pollution in the river and informing the Environment Agency.
3 Working with and through the Environment Agency to ensure that our processes are legal and accurate.
4 Working with Bedfordshire Borough Council to ensure that the help we require in accessing testing sites are agreed.
5 Working with departments within Bedford Borough Council to identify potential sources of pollution from outfalls.
6 Increasing awareness of the problems of pollution in the river through education in schools and through local press.
Our testing programme will complete 3 full years in early 2026 and we have developed enough data to convince Bedford Borough Council and the Environment Agency that our work is of a very high standard and fully accepted. This work will continue into 2026 with the added investment in procuring or sharing monitors (“sondes”) that will give us 24/7 data on pollution “hot spots”.
We have successfully built a working relationship with the Geography and Environment Department of Birmingham University. We will be sharing equipment and data.
Funding
The Wells family continue to support us and we continue to seek funds to allow us to undertake increased testing as follows-
Dry Day testng
Water companies are not allowed to spill untreated sewage on dry days. They often do so and our programme will be to work with Birmingham University, using a series of mini sondes that will detect turbulence on dry days and inform us immediately thus allowing sampling.
Outall Safari
We are fully aware that there are a number of sites where we record high levels of E.coli with no apparent source. We are undertaking a 2 year programme to identify outfalls and test the water at these points.
Extending the monthly testng programme
We will increase the sites to 20 thus covering the Great Ouse through the whole of Bedfordshire.
Volunteers
Out “citizen scientists” now number 40
Accounts for Period 30[th] November 2024 to 1[st] December 2025
| INCOME | EXPENDITURE | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting Bank Balance | £28,00 4 |
RS Hydro Proteus Sondes support |
£ 2,896 |
| E.Coli Testing laboratories | £ 4,675 | ||
| DIL Motion | £ 1,375 |
Water Testing Chemicals | £ 2,788 |
| National Highways | £ 8,275 |
Water Testing Equipment | £ 4,088 |
| Charles Wells | £10,00 0 |
Admin & Website costs | £ 5,027 |
| Bedford Rural Fund | £ 2,749 |
Insurance – Liability & Sonde insurance |
£ 2,618 |
| Wixamtree Charity | £10,00 0 |
Expenses | £ 2,075 |
| Insurance credit | £ 618 | TOTAL | £24,16 7 |
| TOTAL | £33,01 7 |
||
| current bank balance 30/11 |
£36,85 4 |
||
| TOTAL INCOME = | £ 33,017 |
TOTAL EXPENDITURE = | £ 24,167 |
Beginning Bank Balance £28,004 + Income £33,017 – Expediture £24,167 = Current Bank Balance : £36,854
ASSETS In-Situ Sonde = £ 9,898 Kayak + Trailer = £ 2,159 Testing Equipment = £2,100
Bedfordshire Great Ouse Valley Environmental Trust (“BedsGOVET”) Registered Charity No: 1198830 www.BedsGOVET.org
Independent Examiners Report : 2024-25 Bedfordshire Great Ouse Valley Environmental Trust