The ARC Project is a four-year journey focused on building stronger relationships across the Agivey River catchment area, between people, communities, and the rest of the natural world. The Agivey River and its tributaries flow from their source in the Sperrins to where the river joins the River Bann, connecting communities and landscapes along the way.

At its heart, the project is about helping people reconnect with the river system, recognising the life that surrounds it, and supporting the creativity, skills, and local energy that already exist within the area. ARC also aims to support individuals and organisations who are working to improve the health of both people and place.

What the project is about

The ARC Project will:

• grow relationships across the Agivey River catchment area between people, communities, and the natural world
• bring visibility back to the river system and the life that surrounds it
• invest in the creative energies, talents, and skills of local people and groups working to improve the wellbeing of people and place

Our anchor partners

The project brings together a wide range of local anchor partners from across the catchment area.

These include the six primary schools in the river catchment: Carhill IPS, Garvagh PS, Gorran PS, Kilrea PS, St Columba’s PS (Ballerin), and St Patrick’s & St Joseph’s PS.

They also include community anchors and neighbouring organisations connected to Garvagh Forest, including: Ballerin GAC, Glenullin GAC, Moneydig Rural Network, Friends of Garvagh Museum, Garvagh High School Site, Garvagh Health Centre, and St Paul’s Church of Ireland.

Supporting organisations bringing resources, knowledge, and skills into the project include: Community Garden Support, Hares’ Corner Cooperative, Quarto Collective, Rural Community Network, Wild Awake, and Wild Life.

Bioregioning and the ARC Project

The ARC Project is rooted in the idea that people and place are deeply connected. By paying attention to the river, the land, local history, biodiversity, and the relationships between communities, the project encourages a more joined-up way of thinking about how we live and work together across the catchment.

This way of thinking is often described as bioregioning, understanding a place through the natural systems that shape it, such as rivers, landscapes, wildlife, and the communities that live alongside them. The short talk below explores how looking at the world through nature’s patterns can help us better understand and care for the places we call home.

The ARC Project is funded by the National Lottery Community Fund’s Climate Action Fund.