Why Is The River Our Most Important Guest At Our Screenings?

A documentary film about people who love and fight for our previous rivers, Rave On For The Avon came to Greenwich Picturehouse on the day Environment Agency announced a 54% increase in sewage discharges in 2024 compared to the previous year. The most important part of the whole event however began a few hours before the screening.

The Goddess of the Wye glided to the Thames River to met the newest river spirit on the block.

The Goddess met with Father Thames, a puppet commissioned by River Action to attend marches and meetings as a way to represent the water. Our hope is to flip to conversation, from viewing the river as a resource to an entity with the right to flow free from pollution. This is how we see our gorgeous rivers, but how do we make that clear to decision-makers and polluters who's actions convey the opposite?

Laura Reineke of Friends of the Thames scooped up a vessel of Thames water and along with London swimmer Blu Edmunds, brought the water to a screening of Rave On For The Avon. Laura and Blu joined Director Charlotte Sawyer and poet Meg Avon in a Q&A following the screening.

Our most important guest is the Thames.

You might be wondering why? Why are campaigners bringing the water to events, personifying our rivers with puppets, taking time to reflect and connect with the water through ceremony whilst also quoting hard-hitting pollution data? Our panellist Blu Edmunds, a Londoner and wild swimmer gave an important insight as to why this was during the Q&A:

I grew up in London, got expelled from school and used swimming to channel my energy. I then began to compete at a National Level in Open water. In 2021 I swam in the Thames daily. I now mostly swim in Hampstead heath. Wild swimming has been an imperative part of my sobriety journey. I’d say the barrier to people wild swimming in London is a lack of knowledge about how safe and beneficial it is, as well as a lack of swimming skill/confidence. Yet both are on the rise so I have hope for the future of wild swimming. I view rivers and water in general as the greatest teacher and healer. Conscious, alive, and nurturing.

It is so important as campaigners to focus on the love we have for our gorgeous rivers. We think it is the only thing that gives us the strength to keep going. It is also a way to bring other people to the cause.

Meg (who marries the Bristol Avon in the film and an extraordinary poet) asked in the Q&A

We only protect what we love and we only love what we know, so better access to rivers is needed in every sense to build our reciprocal relationships with them.

...so we will continue spreading our love of rivers through joyful and creative campaigning- spreading that 'rave on' energy around the country!

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