Thank you for your interest in becoming an Urban Riverfly Monitor! For more information about the Urban Riverfly scheme, which was developed by the Riverfly Partnership, please click here.

Date: 23rd April 2025

Venue: Manor Park Classroom, Manor Park, SE13 54L

Timings: 09:15 - 16:00 (more details are in the below table). Please note, timings are slightly flexible so we may finish slightly earlier than 16:00.

Structure of the day:

09:15 = Arrivals, registration and refreshments

09:30 = Intros, health & safety and biosecurity

10:00 = Introduction to Riverfly monitoring (RMI)

10:20 = BREAK (tea/coffee)

10:30 = Target groups - identification, life history & ecology

11:10 = BREAK (tea/coffee)

11:20 = RMI fieldwork - theory

11:45 = BREAK (early lunch. You can instead eat later if you like!)

12:15 = RMI fieldwork - practical session in the river

14:30 = Clean equipment and kit

15:15 = ID quiz (back inside the pavilion)

15:20 = Online database and RMI in practice

13:45 = Questions and feedback

16:00 = Finish

Getting there: Please note this is not a very car friendly area, so driving in isn't the best option for any attendees unless they can find paid parking nearby. There are multiple entrances into the park and it is well serviced by bus routes and Hither Green train station which is nearby (7 minute walk). 

Lunch: Please bring your own lunch with you, or there will be time during the break to buy some. Please also bring a water bottle with you.

Clothing: Please dress appropriately for the weather: bring lots of layers and warm clothes for the practical bit outside! If there is rain in the forecast, bring a raincoat. In general for riverfly monitoring, please wear long trousers and wear or bring a long-sleeved top/fleece/jumper to protect yourself from nettles or giant hogweed. Please also wear sturdy shoes for the walk to the site for the practical session.

Waders: Please let us know what your shoe size is ASAP so we can make sure to bring enough waders to fit everyone. We won't be able to let you keep these waders unfortunately - they will just be loaned to you for the training day. Also, please let us know if you are going to bring your own waders. 

Equipment: All equipment for the RMI practical fieldwork will be provided on the day - we will give you / the person representing your group monitoring kit to take home with you. This kit includes: a large net (approximately 1.5m tall so I would advise not cycling if you are the designated person in your group who is taking the net home), a 16 litre bucket, a large white tray, a nine-section divided tray, a large pipette, a couple of small pipettes, a couple of plastic spoons, a magnifying glass and a paintbrush.

Let us know if you have any questions by emailing at jack.beard@thames21.org.uk or calling 07597576706