Cynrig Hatchery wins top award

The work of Natural Resources Wales team which is at the heart of Welsh species recovery has been recognised in the annual St David Awards.

Dr John Taylor, Oliver Brown, Richard Davies, and Haydn Probert manage Cynrig Hatchery, near Brecon, where they rear and restore some of the UK’s most threatened wildlife, including water voles, white-clawed crayfish, freshwater pearl mussels, and Arctic Char.

They won the Environment Champion category, which is awarded to a person or group who have made an outstanding contribution to improving their environment, either locally, Wales-wide or internationally.

The Award organisers described the Cynrig team’s work as:

“Their work is a blend of scientific skill, adaptability, and innovative thinking—feeding and cleaning seven days a week, perfecting breeding methods, and developing sustainable solutions like hydroponic vegetable growing for water voles.

“The team’s efforts have seen over 7,000 crayfish successfully reared, 10,000 water voles reintroduced, cutting-edge salmon tracking environmental impact trials, the first reintroduction of freshwater pearl mussels in Wales and the restoration of a rare population of Arctic Char facing imminent extinction.

“Always humble, they share their knowledge widely, nurturing both wildlife and the next generation of experts through volunteer engagement. The Cynrig Hatchery team’s commitment and determination are a model of environmental stewardship, protecting biodiversity and helping secure Wales’s most at-risk species.”

The St David Awards are the national awards of Wales and are nominated for by the public. They include such diverse areas as Culture, Community Champions, Business and Sport as well as a host of others.

The Cynrig team were in good company, joining Welsh legend Max Boyce and  Wales’ most capped footballer Jess Fishlock as 2026 winners.

Oliver Brown, aquaculture officer at Cynrig said:

“We are delighted that the work in environmental stewardship and protecting biodiversity we do here at Cynrig has been recognised.

“As pressures on our environment from climate change and pollution continue to grow, it is more important than ever we protect our most endangered species for future generations.”