Rambling About Rivers

We sat down with Manchán Magan, effervescent broadcaster, writer, and All-Ireland ambassador for The Rivers Trust, in April 2025. We were devastated later in the year to hear that he'd lost a long battle with cancer, and our waterways lost a true friend.
His insights and unique storytelling continue to inspire us. To honour his legacy and his enthusiasm for supporting The Rivers Trust, we're closing out this series of Rambling About Rivers with this conversation. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Find out more and get involved:  
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find your local Rivers Trust⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  
Visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.theriverstrust.org⁠⁠⁠⁠ for more  
 
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.

Rivers are essential to life, but our understanding of river health and issues is fragmented. Why are there such huge gaps in freshwater monitoring, what opportunities or issues are being missed as a result, and how can citizen science change the game?
This week we join Michelle Walker, Technical Director and citizen science expert at The Rivers Trust, to survey her local tributary for riverflies - vital indicators of river health. To learn more about how volunteer-gathered data played an essential role in cleaning up over 5 million wet wipes from the Thames' foreshore, we chat to Felicity Rhodes, Thames Programme Manager at Thames 21.

Find out more and get involved:  
Explore the Riverfly Monitoring Dataset on the CaSTCo website.
Read about the removal works at 'Wet Wipe Island'
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find your local Rivers Trust⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  
Visit ⁠⁠⁠www.theriverstrust.org⁠⁠⁠ for more  
 
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.

We’re chatting with cut flower farmer, and Co-Director of UK Youth for nature, Roisin Taylor, who works tirelessly to engage young people in the UK in climate and nature action, and provide opportunities for them to build skills and be a key part of campaigns seeking to protect and improve our green and blue spaces – including our rivers. 
She’s also intimately connected to the health of our rivers as a nature-friendly flower farmer, and has been a strong advocate for our Making Space For Water Campaign,

Find out more and get involved:  
Sign the petition: ⁠https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/727016⁠
Find out more about the Making Space for Water campaign: ⁠www.makingspaceforwater.com ⁠
Get to know UK Youth for Nature: ⁠www.uky4n.org⁠

⁠⁠⁠⁠Find your local Rivers Trust⁠⁠⁠⁠  
⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠  
Visit ⁠⁠www.theriverstrust.org⁠⁠ for more  
 
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.

How are toxic chemicals getting into our rivers, and what impacts are these having on river life? Is the UK's poor chemical regulation policy making us 'the dirty man of Europe' again? And what roles do nature-based solutions and changing our habits at home have in protecting our freshwater?
This week we speak to Dr Rob Collins, Director of Science and Policy at The Rivers Trust, and Dr Bella Davies, CEO of South East Rivers Trust, for a deep dive on chemical pollution in rivers.
Find out more and get involved:  
Read more about chemical pollution in our rivers in the State of Our Rivers Report.
See what else South East Rivers Trust is doing to restore and protect rivers in the South East of England.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Find your local Rivers Trust⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  
⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up to our newsletter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠  
Visit ⁠⁠⁠www.theriverstrust.org⁠⁠⁠ for more  
 
Follow us on social media @theriverstrust. Hosted and edited by Emma Brisdion and Matthew Woodard, mixed by Mark Skinner.

In this episode we're logging off, to, well, log on? It'll make sense when you listen to our conversation with the brilliant Alastair 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 Alastair 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.