Not Bourne Yesterday: Chalk Stream Communities of the Chilterns
‘Not Bourne Yesterday’ is a project which aims to tell the 8,000 year-old story of Chilterns chalk streams with the everyday lives of the people – past, present and future – who live alongside them.
Not Bourne Yesterday has been granted round one development funding by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, allowing work to develop this ambition project to get underway. Following an 18-month development phase we will seek funds needed to deliver a suite of projects in communities in and around the Chilterns.
We are interested in hearing from partners and community groups with an interest in the heritage and conservation of Chilterns Streams who can help us to develop and deliver the project.
More about Not Bourne Yesterday
Past
Chalk streams have been the focus of human activity and modification for millennia. The chalk stream valleys of the Chilterns are archaeological features in their own right, modified by humans for over 8000 years. Connecting people with their place increases their desire to care for and protect.
Present
Today more than ever, young people are seeking to make a difference, but it can be hard for many to find avenues into conservation or engagement with the natural world. Not Bourne Yesterday will work in partnership with organisations and local communities to support diverse audiences in engaging with, caring for, and learning to value their chalk streams.
Future
A legacy of bringing communities into closer engagement with their chalk streams will be the long-term rehabilitation of these fragmented and degraded ecosystems. Drawing on what is discovered in the other aspects of the programme, we will aim to make rivers more resilient, restore habitats, enhance urban spaces, and make the natural environment more robust in the face of climate crisis.
