Living with water and rivers: now and into the future
Part of River Hope’s The Gathering: For Water and Nature 6–15 March 2026, this full day event explores how we live with water, rivers and their biodiversity, now and into the future.
This day brings together local and national voices to explore river health, pollution, adaptation and cross-party collaboration for the Avon and its local tributaries. It creates space and opportunity for all to share and reflect on the health of local rivers, the causes and impacts of pollution, and climate change and need for adaptation and resilience. It identifies actions we can take to restore Nature and strengthen communities and work together more collaboratively. Through a series of engaging panel discussions with national and local voices, pledges and calls to action, we will explore:
- Testing the waters: uncovering hidden pollutants
- From land to water: how river systems respond
- Water, rivers and climate change: adaptation and resilience
- Cross-party collaboration: hearing from our elected representatives
The event is free – pre-registration required:
The programme concludes with an evening film screening of “Jo in the Water” (Ticketed) and the launch of the Clean, Green and Blue Challenge for Stratford-upon-Avon, led by Rubbish Friends.
Whether you are a local resident, activist, student, policymaker, land manager, artist or simply someone who cares about water and Nature, this event is for you!
This event has been made possible with the generous support of the Crowne Plaza Stratford-Upon-Avon, Stratford Town Trust, Purple Square Audio Visual Ltd, the Launch Agency and Encode.
Session collaborators:
- UK River Summit
- Rivers Rights Network
- Beneath British Waters (filmmaker, Mark Barrow)
- SafeAvon
- South Warwickshire Area Network for Wildlife (SWAN)
- Napton Environmental Action Team (NEAT)
- Stratford Climate Action/Net Zero
- Moving Souls Dance
- Manuela Perteghella MP
Event organisers: Rubbish Friends Stratford-Upon-Avon and River Hope.
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About “The Gathering: for water and Nature”
Originally the vision of River Hope, “The Gathering: For Water and Nature is an informative, thought-provoking, inspiring and collaborative programme celebrating water, rivers and their ecosystems across South Warwickshire.
Running from Friday 6 to Sunday 15 March 2026 and including the International Day of Action for Rivers on Saturday 14 March, The Gathering brings together science, activism, creative arts, ceremony, celebration, and pledges for advocacy and practical action. It offers a mix of films, data presentations, talks and performances, workshops, panel discussions, Q&A sessions with local and national speakers and insights from grassroots community groups.
Residents and different categories of stakeholders can take new opportunities to listen to each other, see water differently, remember the value of water and Nature and our part in it, and celebrate waterbodies as the lifeblood of the web of thriving life for millennia. This is an invitation to remember our deep relationships with water and Nature, reflect on what values we give to them and work together to restore what is damaged and struggling today.
For the full programme of events, visit The Gathering on River Hope’s website.