Thames Rivers Trust

Who we are

Thames Rivers Trust (TRT) is a registered charity founded in 1986, originally as the Thames Salmon Trust, and is part of The Rivers Trust movement.

We have since evolved into the key coordinating body for the Thames River Basin — a 215-mile river system with 38 main tributaries supporting a host of wildlife including otters, kingfishers, water voles, brown trout and the European eel. We act as the Thames catchment convenor, bringing together 11 key partner organisations and 27 catchment partnership hosts to deliver collaborative river restoration. Our work includes projects such as the Thames Catchment Community Eels Project (TCCEP) and the Thames Salmon School educational programme.  

Rivers are vital, we all need cold, clean and plentiful water to thrive; for communities, for business, for farming and for a wealth of wildlife species; yet our rivers are facing a multitude of serious threats and challenges. Together we and our partners are striving at many levels to preserve and improve rivers now and for the future in the Thames catchment.

Our culture and values

TRT’s mission is to foster collaborative working across the Thames River Basin to benefit the environment, wildlife, and communities — underpinned by four core values: Independence, Evidence-based working, Sustainability, and Trustworthiness.

Our culture is strongly partnership-led — we firmly believe no single organisation can restore the Thames alone, and that success depends on collective effort and shared purpose.