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 closi...

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...

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 river...

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 D...

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    Vis...

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...

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 ri...

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...

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 thr...