Speaking at the March for Clean Water
It was quite an out-of-body experience to address a crowd in Parliament Square, but I couldn’t have asked for better company as I looked out over a sea of river guardians, gathered from across the country. The River Wye was well-represented, with coachloads of supporters and a Goddess to boot, and I was honoured to speak for the river.
River Action did a brilliant job organising the March for Clean Water and it was a privilege to be on stage alongside Robert Macfarlane, Chris Packham, Johnny Flynn, Paul Powlesland and so many amazing activists, including some truly inspirational children.
The main message of my speech was a plea for the government to tackle all forms of river pollution, not just sewage. The main polluter of our waterways is actually agriculture, so unless we tackle farming pollution, the majority of our rivers are doomed to continued decline.
Frustratingly most press coverage of the march still focused exclusively on the sewage scandal, so the struggle continues to widen the spotlight.