AN AMBITIOUS river restoration project will help flood-hit communities in the Ullswater valley and restore dwindling populations of wildlife. The National Trust project has been in planning for 20 years and will see a stretch of river moved from its current course alongside a main road into the Lake District and re-meandered, creating a series of bends and smaller channels that will reduce flooding risk. Properties in the valley have been devastated by flooding in recent years, including during Storm Desmond in 2015. As damage, landslides and flooding is set to become more widespread by 2060, the trust is taking action. Led by the Riverlands programme, a partnership between the National Trust and the Environment Agency, the scheme will reverse historic changes to Godrill Beck which have artificially straightened the river channel, meaning it is quickly overwhelmed by water.