Latest news with #TheRiversTrust
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Rivers Trust responds to open water swim company's closure
Henley Swim said it was forced to close due to "relentless publicity" over water quality in the River Thames causing a drop in numbers entering its swims (Image: Archant) The chief executive of a conservation charity has responded to the closure of an open water swimming events firm. Henley Swim had been running events on the River Thames for more than 20 years before it was forced to close down at the start of the month after "relentless publicity" over water quality in the river led to a drop in numbers entering its swims. Responding to the news, Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust, said: "We are incredibly sorry to hear the news that Henley Swim has stopped trading and that their events this year will not go ahead. "Since we were the official charity partner for Henley Swim Festival in 2022, The Rivers Trust has attended the event every year and we were due to attend again in July 2025. ADVERTISEMENT "We have also worked year-round with their team to advocate for increased environmental awareness and safe river swimming." Mr Lloyd said the closure of Henley Swim shows there is "much more to do both to address river pollution and to help the public make informed decisions about swimming". He added: "Despite the immense challenges our rivers are facing, The Rivers Trust firmly believes that safe river swimming is possible in the UK, but swimmers must be aware of the risks and take necessary precautions when doing so. "We will continue to fight for our vision of wild, healthy, natural rivers that can be enjoyed by swimmers and river users alike."
RTÉ News
25-04-2025
- General
- RTÉ News
The Big River Watch Survey has started on your local freshwater body
Joanna Braniff, all-Ireland advocacy and communications manager of The Rivers Trust calls on the public to take part in the Big River Watch Survey
RTÉ News
24-04-2025
- Science
- RTÉ News
Volunteers wanted for annual survey of Irish rivers
The Rivers Trust is urging people from all over the island of Ireland to take part in their annual river survey. The Big River Watch Survey takes place from Friday 25 April to Thursday 1 May. Over that week, the trust is asking people to observe a local river, lough of stream and record their findings on their free app. The app will prompt the user to answer questions about what they can see and observe. No special knowledge is required. Speaking to RTÉ's Morning Ireland, Joanna Braniff, all-Ireland advocacy and communications manager of The Rivers Trust, said that the survey should take no longer than 15 minutes to complete. "There are loads of data gaps in river and waterbody knowledge throughout Ireland," Ms Braniff said. "We want to get a broader picture of our rivers," she added. Unlike in Britain, where there is live monitoring on many freshwater bodies, this is not the case in Ireland. The biodiversity crisis, as well as increased blue-green algae blooms and pollution incidents, means that the need for data on freshwater bodies is increasing, Ms Braniff has said. "There is a gap in the story right now and we're asking the public to step-up," Ms Braniff said. People can complete as many surveys as they like in the app in as many places along the same freshwater body or a different body. "You never step in the same river twice," Ms Braniff said. "A small pollution incident could only be visible for 15 minutes, so there is no upper limit on how many times even the one area could be surveyed." This is the third year the Big River Watch Survey is running in Ireland. The Rivers Trust is hoping for 250 data points to come from Ireland in this year's survey. Last year, there were around 200 from the island of Ireland and around 3,000 from Britain. The Big River Watch app can be downloaded on both Android and iOS. The app itself is always live so people can submit data to it year-round and all the data gathered from the survey is publicly available for anyone to use.
