Upper Tone 360 is a collaborative initiative bringing together farmers, landowners, communities, and key environmental partners. Our aim is to restore and protect the health of the River Tone and its tributaries upstream of French Weir in Taunton. Using watercourses as the starting point for engagement, the project will reconnect the river with its floodplain and its people, promoting a shared sense of stewardship and responsibility.
We recognise that rivers are vital indicators of environmental health, influenced by how we manage the land around them. By working with those who live and work along the River Tone, the project is promoting positive changes to improve water quality, enhance habitats, and raise awareness of riparian responsibilities.
This multi-layered approach is being delivered in partnership with the Environment Agency (EA), Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF), Westcountry Rivers Trust (WRT) and community groups with FWAG SouthWest leading the delivery on the ground.
The project operates across three key areas:
- Wider catchment engagement – By supporting farmers in adopting sustainable land use practices, the project aims to reduce diffuse pollution, particularly from phosphates, and protect soil health, directly benefiting water quality and farm businesses.
- Riparian zone improvements – Working with farmers, we aim to create wider areas next to watercourses to filter pollutants, create wildlife corridors, and allow space for rivers to flow more naturally, increasing resilience to flood and drought while mitigating diffuse pollution.
- In-channel interventions – working with EA and WRT, we aim to use this project as a springboard for sister projects to improve fish passage, enhance aquatic habitats, and reduce bank erosion to support biodiversity and natural river function.
FWAG is working closely with farmers and landowners across the catchment to provide tailored advice on soil management, phosphate reduction, and habitat enhancement. We will engage with riparian owners to promote best practice and understand responsibilities around watercourses. These practical conversations are also being used as opportunities to highlight the multiple benefits of ‘making space for water’ — from improving biodiversity and water quality to sustainable farming.
By connecting people to place, and encouraging better land and water stewardship, the project is helping to restore the health of the River Tone and secure its future for generations to come.
For more details please contact Joanna Uglow on 01823 660684 or email joanna.uglow@fwagsw.org.uk
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