Friends of the Dart is a community-based environmental organisation focused on protecting and improving the 47 miles of the River Dart in Devon. Our mission is to advocate for the River Dart. We work to minimise pollution, improve biodiversity, and empower communities from source to sea. We do this through evidence-based advocacy and constructive engagement. Furthermore, we seek to share acquired knowledge and contribute to the wellbeing of other rivers in the UK through best practice leadership and collaborative working. Friends of the Dart ensures that all those who have an interest in and a driven conviction to protect and improve the River, have a seat at the table. This inclusivity and inevitable diversity fosters the healthiest engagement; through it, we ensure that we all pull in the same direction with the ultimate goal of achieving positive sustainable change for the River. At the core of our work, we enable transparency and accountability through water quality testing and community engagement. We conduct regular testing along the length of the River Dart to gather independent data on pollution levels, creating a valuable alternative resource to relying solely on water company reporting. We have utilised and relied on current legislation to impose duties and higher standards on the water company, by successfully applying for Designated Bathing Status at 4 sites [this is the first river in the UK to have this many designated sites] along the banks of River Dart. This has resulted in the scheduled upgrades to 16 South West Water infrastructure assets. Inspiring, mobilising and empowering our communities with understanding and knowledge of the situation and its progress, we believe is paramount. As such, our other project activities include community information events, which include regular volunteer, business and community engagement via talks, festival attendance and workshops. To ensure that our work is visible and relevant across our communities, we bring alongside the local authority and district councils as well as other local and national environmental organisations. Our data team have collated a breadth of available data, including data obtained through Environmental Information Regulations (EIR) requests for the South West region, and are utilising both rainfall and population data as well as Environment Agency discharge permit information to enable further understanding of water company asset capacity and surrounding issues. As a trusted independent organisation, a project area is developing where by request, we are now supporting several farms and farmers to identify pollution issues relevant to them. Nationally, we contribute to the state-of-our-rivers conversations with organisations and other River groups. Stemming from that, we feed directly into Government consultations on overhauling the water industry with the potential and aim of policy and regulatory change. We are fully committed to our open-source working culture; from that a further project area has developed where we mentor and advise other River groups in establishing similar programmes.

Stakeholders of Friends of the Dart include our communities, local businesses and local/ national environmental organisations. We have engaged with our stakeholder group through regular social media and newsletter communications, attending and hosting events to discuss updates and we regularly attend other forum groups relevant to our activities such as representing FOD on the steering committee of the Dart partnership, we are also a partner at The catchment partnership, estuaries forum and are in regular contact with key stakeholders such as the Environment agency, farmers and landowners, South West water, West country rivers trust and other cic/ community groups who are active in positive impact for this and other rivers.

Remuneration to Hannah Pearson as shown in the accounts and below. 19th August 2024 £1050 9th September 2024 £1050 1st October 2024 £1050 1st November 2024 £1050 31st November 2024 £1050 6th December 2024 £2100 5th January 2025 £1050 31st January 2025 £1050

No transfer of assets other than for full consideration