Please note, Bringing Rivers to You launched on World Water Day, 22 March 2023, and culminated on World Rivers Day, 24 September, 2023.
This six-month project, devised and led by our comms team, has reached new audiences by visiting riverside towns and cities, to share the joys, stories and legends of local waterways with those not closely connected to their local freshwater habitats.
Campaign highlights include attending 13 community events, generating 555 new social media followers through our campaign social media activity, successfully raising more than £10,000 in a campaign fundraiser, and selling 36 children’s books through a collaborative book launch.
Plymouth City councillor Tom Briars-Delve stopped by at our World Ocean Day event, while members of the Women’s Institution came to Truro to discuss their support of our charity through the WI campaign, Clean Rivers for People and Wildlife. Conversations such as these all help to spread the word about river health.
We have also supported and been supported by artists and grassroots organisations – read more below.
Our rivers are so important to our lives and the biodiversity they support.
We want everyone to have the opportunity to connect to them, learn how special they are, and enjoy the experience of being in, on, or near them.
That’s why this year, we are #BringingRivers2U through storytelling, citizen science, podcasts, our Rivers Roadshow and even a book launch to raise funds for our work.
Come and join us and discover more about your wonderful Westcountry waterways.
We’re so excited to be bringing rivers to you across Devon, Cornwall, Somerset and Dorset this year.
You can see some of the photos from our Rivers Roadshow events below.
We’ve taken part in some fantastic events and it has been fabulous to chat with so many people who love their rivers and want to look after them.
Working with others…
We are supporting, and being supported by, numerous individuals, artists, grassroots groups and more to help keep #BringingRivers2U.
Find out more about them here such as Katy who is ‘Going on Taw’, the community groups and events we are collaborating with and the Salmon Run on World Rivers Day.
Natural England and author Angela Gall have published a new children’s book, released on World Ocean Day – 8 June 2023. They are kindly donating all proceeds from its sales to support our conservation work on the Tamar and other local rivers.
Allis the Shad Who Wouldn’t Give Up is a delightful rhyming story following the life journey of the rare and enigmatic Allis shad; from the tranquil River Tamar to the underwater wonders of Plymouth Sound and the sea beyond – and back again.
The book’s author Angela Gall is a Senior Marine Adviser with Natural England’s Devon, Cornwall, and Isles of Scilly Area Team. She has worked on the Tamar estuary for many years and has been longing to share the story of the iconic Allis shad. The intricate and colourful illustrations are by Sarah Gledhill, a UK based illustrator who has worked hard to accurately depict local scenes and an array of wildlife for children to spot.