Watermark Town Awards

The Watermark Town Awards were created to build a network of environmentally aware communities working alongside their town and parish councils.

The awards encourage communities to:

• save water
• reduce surface water run-off
• deepen public understanding of water supply and waste systems
• improve their local environment.

Towns and communities taking part

In 2025 we supported 5 town councils across our region to work towards the Watermark Award. Their success has driven significant growth and in 2026, 12 town councils and 2 parish councils began their Watermark journey.

To support smaller parish councils, we created a new Watermark Community Award, offering a lighter version of the programme while still enabling meaningful environmental action.

Together we have delivered

Watermark Town achievements

Many of our 2025 Watermark Towns have now celebrated their award. Learn more about some of their achievements and what they have in store for the future.

Taunton

Taunton Town Council generated the following projects from a community workshop with residents, which helped to identify focus areas.

Taunton’s Tiny Ponds

Tiny pond packs were created and delivered to families in underserved communities who signed up to the project. This was to encourage families to set up a small pond in their back garden to help with blue corridors and local biodiversity. Each pack had a “how to” leaflet and included plants and a container.

There have been 44 sign-ups so far...

Slow The Flow Project 1: Sustainable Rainwater Harvesting

Taunton Town Council identified allotment groups, community groups and schools who would benefit by having water butts for sustainable rainwater harvesting, especially useful during periods of drought. We worked together to deliver and install 60 water butts in the town.

Slow The Flow Project 2: Rain Gardens and Swales

Taunton Town Council plan to work with West Country Rivers Trust to undertake feasibility studies across identified parks to generate designs for Rain Gardens and Swales to help slow the flow.

Installing rain gardens

As a legacy of the 2025 projects, Taunton Town Council are researching the installation of rain gardens throughout the centre of the town.

Dorchester

Following their workshop with residents, Dorchester Town Council are collaborating with Litter Free Dorset, our Education Team and a local artist to deliver an ambitious project, Frome to Grow, which will educate and raise awareness of the local river, the Frome.

Frome to Grow

Frome to Grow is a youth education and arts project working with three local middle schools.

The project will combine environmental education with creativity to engage young people in understanding and protecting their local river, the River Frome.

This will be managed and overseen by Dorchester Town Council, working closely with our Education team, Litter Free Dorset, and the Dorset-based arts organisation Emerald Ant.

Educational work

This project will consist of two parts: educational workshops and an interactive art trail.

The first part of the project will see two local organisations visiting the schools to host educational sessions and a field trip.

The second part will involve an interactive arts education trail, created along with students based on their experience.