Thanks to support from a Watercress & Winterbournes community project grant, the 2025 Whitchurch Folk Festival was proud to feature two special projects that celebrate our local rivers and landscapes.
Wildforms, the project of Hampshire-based sound artist, Dan Cippico, has created a beautiful ambient composition for the festival using sounds recorded along the River Test. This unique, locally inspired piece was played between performances at the festival’s main venues – a reminder of the natural world that flows through and around Whitchurch.
Listen out below for sounds including greater spotted woodpecker, skylark, chaffinch, chiffchaff and underwater invertebrates, as well as photosynthesis from common water starwort. Other sounds included the over and underwater flow of the river.
River Beasts
In the lead up to the festival, we also hosted two headdress-making workshops with local artist Kezia Hoffman. Participants of all ages helped to create willow frame ‘river beasts’ – an otter, kingfisher, trout and white-clawed crayfish – which came to life in the festival’s Jack in the Green parade.
Both projects reflect the spirit of the Watercress & Winterbournes programme – celebrating, protecting and re-imagining the waterways that have shaped our landscape and community for generations.
Meet the beasts below…
White-clawed crayfish
As the UK’s only native freshwater crayfish, the White-clawed crayfish is in decline due to the introduction of the non-native North American signal crayfish. This invasive species has brought disease to which our indigenous crayfish has no natural resistance.
Otter
The elusive otter is one of our top predators, feeding mainly on fish, waterbirds, amphibians and crustaceans. Otters have their cubs in underground burrows, known as ‘holts’. They have webbed feet, dense fur to keep them warm, and can close their ears and nose when underwater.
Kingfisher
The kingfisher is a colourful bird of rivers and streams. It can be spotted sitting quietly on low-hanging branches over the water, suddenly diving in to catch a small fish. Kingfishers live in burrow-like nests near lakes and other waterways, choosing a perfect spot for fishing!
Trout
The brown trout lives in fast-flowing, stony and gravelly rivers, including the clear waters of the River Test. It is a predatory fish, feeding on insect larvae, small fish and flying insects, such as mayflies and damselflies. It is golden-brown with a dark back and creamy-yellow belly.
Source: Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust
