In this episode we're logging off, to, well, log on? It'll make sense when you listen to our conversation with the brilliant Al Humphreys. He's an adventurer, writer, champion for connecting with and cleaning up the great outdoors, and an ambassador for The Rivers Trust.
Find out more and get involved:
Find your local Rivers Trust
Sign up to our newsletter
Visit www.theriverstrust.org for more
Hear more from Al on his Instagram or in his newsletter
Explore the River Runner map
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.
Sewage pollution in our rivers is never far from the headlines. We're digging deep into the topic of the stinky stuff in this episode (not literally) and asking; how is sewage getting into our waters? Why might treated sewage present an even bigger problem for rivers than the raw stuff? How do we map, monitor, and fix the broken system? What does it all mean for swimmers, paddlers, and anglers? And how can citizen scientists help us change the system?
You'll hear from:
Simon Browning, Technical Lead at The Rivers Trust, on why we use e.coli levels to understand whether there's sewage in the water, and what the limitations of this method are.
Philippa Nicholls, Evidence Officer at Thames 21, on how Outfall Safaris in London are identifying missconnections and cross connections, which are resulting in pollution, and working with Thames Water to reconnect pipes properly. This project has been developed by CaSTCo, which was created through the OFWAT Water Breakthrough Challenge.
Find out more and get involved:
Find your local Rivers Trust
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.
She’s an Olympic champion boasting a gold medal from Paris 2024, she’s a sustainability guru striving to make her sport and her community greener, she’s a passionate advocate for cleaner waterways, she’s a junior doctor with the NHS, and she’s a Rivers Trust Ambassador. Is there nothing Imogen Grant can’t do? This week, Emma and Matthew chat with Imogen about how her sport has turned her into a river health champion, and how she wants to see the rowing community step up and play a part in river restorations. Plus, find out how she deals with accidentally hitting geese while rowing.
Find out more and get involved:
Find your local Rivers Trust
Visit www.theriverstrust.org for more
Hear more from Imogen on her Instagram @ImogenDaisyG
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.
To start this series of Rambling about Rivers, we’re tackling river habitat decline: what’s driving it, how it’s impacting our rivers, and most importantly, what’s being done to reverse the damage. From degraded peatlands and invasive species to the straightening and deepening of river channels, we explore the historic and ongoing pressures on our waterways.
You’ll hear from:
Freya Connolly of the Buffer+ project in Ireland, who’s championing innovative paludiculture farming on revitalised peatland.
Pete King from Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust, who explains how “re-wiggling” a chalk stream created thriving wetland habitat and reconnected the local community to their river.
Matt Duffy from Don Catchment Rivers Trust, who shares the incredible story of how salmon returned to Sheffield’s River Don for the first time in over 150 years, thanks to decades of barrier removal and river restoration.
Find out more and get involved:
Don Catchment Rivers Trust’s Wilder Salmon Pastures
Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust’s Cockshut Restoration Project
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.
You’ve probably heard a lot about rivers in the past few years. In the new podcast series from The Rivers Trust, we’re laying bare the state of rivers in the UK and Ireland, getting up close and personal with some of the issues that they face, and discussing what needs to be done to bring rivers back to life. The first episode lands on Thursday.
Join Emma and Matthew every fortnight to journey through catchments – from the headwaters to the sea – joined by experts, friends, and colleagues from across The Rivers Trust Movement fighting for wild, healthy and natural rivers. Find out more about The Rivers Trust: www.theriverstrust.org
Get in touch: info@theriverstrust.org
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust: Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook
Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.