News / river avon
Bid to save River Avon from pollution and neglect
Campaigners hope a charter for the River Avon will put pressure on politicians, landowners and water companies to do more to ensure nature can thrive.
The idea behind the new collaborative document will be to set out the minimum standards expected for the river and act as a catalyst for “transforming our engagement with the Avon from one of neglect and exploitation to one of respect and fulfilment”.
Drawing inspiration from the UK’s first river charter, for the Dart in Devon, the Conham Bathing campaign group is putting together the Thriving Avon Charter (TAC) and is seeking input from the wider community.
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The document will set out the rights of the Avon, together with the duties of citizens, decision makers and organisations to ensure the river can not only survive, but thrive.
It comes after analysis by the Guardian revealed that the River Avon is in the top three waterways for the most amount of sewage spills in England.
Conham Bathing campaigners say: “Our hope is that the TAC will establish what we, as river guardians, view as a minimum standard for a healthy reciprocal relationship with the Avon. One that doesn’t profit from extraction and pollution, but that seeks to prioritise ecological and public health.”
Speaking about the charter, campaigner and Conham Bathing member Becca Blease said: “The idea behind the charter is to give the community an opportunity to define our relationship with the Avon; a relationship too often determined by polluters, access disputes and poor regulation.
“It will include what we believe to be the minimum standard for a thriving river, and the duties of all of us to uphold that standard.
“We hope that by sharing this document, that politicians, landowners, regulators, and the water industry alike will be aware of what the river means to us and that this can be the start of transforming our engagement with the Avon from one of neglect and exploitation to one of respect and fulfilment.”
Campaigners hope a charter for the River Avon will put pressure on politicians, landowners and water companies to do more to ensure nature can thrive – photo: Ellie Pipe
The group wants the TAC to be a collaborative document that reflects the diversity of the many communities who interact with the river across the whole Avon catchment.
Members are asking people to email their ideas, no matter how long, brief or unusual to conhambathing@gmail.com by the end of April to have their voice included.
Main photo: Stephen Sumner
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