“Well that was out of the blue and totally unexpected. This morning i was awarded the Wetherby towns person of the year 2025 award for my services locally and nationally to the freshwater environment over the last 35 years. For once i was just about speechless”.
#freshwaterfish</>
Mark Barrow on Countryfile 17th November 2024
“I have been filming with Countryfile in the Yorkshire Dales about my filming and journey over 35 years, covering grayling, barbel and the European eel.
It was a real treat to be asked and to get my underwater work shown on the programme,”
This is the link to the programme next week – https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002569h
Independent Water Commission needs to move quickly to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas
Press Release issued by ICRG:
- You can find a briefing on our broken sewage system provided to all MPs here
- Ilkley Clean River Group has been campaigning for 5 years to stop the sewage pollution of the River Wharfe
- The Sewage Campaign Network with the assistance of Prof Ewan McGaughey, Professor of Law at Kings College University, London, have provided a set of amendments to protect the public from further exploitation from the broken water industry.
- Ilkley Clean River Group is a founding member of The Sewage Campaign Network:Henley Mermaids, Ilkley Clean River Group, Save Windermere, SOS Whitstable, and Windrush Against Sewage Pollution are a network of leading grassroots campaigners steeped in our local communities, trying to save our rivers, lakes and seas from sewage pollution; and the founders of the current massive public storm. Our coalition consists of the forerunners in the campaign to stop sewage pollution, passionate community members committed to safeguarding rivers, lakes, and coastlines from pollution. We have not been captured, we don’t take money from government, regulators or the water companies; we are truly independent. We take pride in our integrity. We have found that in order to save our local waters, we have had to step up and challenge the whole water system, campaigning to get the law enforced. We are also mobilising hundreds of community campaign groups like ours, providing briefings, educational sessions, supporting the practicalities of water testing, campaigning and lobbying. Each group within the network operates independently, but we speak as one, channeling the public’s outrage at pollution for profit.
- Ilkley Clean River Group secured the first river to be awarded Bathing Status. The river is persistently rated poor water quality and the Status is up for renewal in 2025. If it remains poor the river will be ‘de-designated’ by Defra
- The campaign has secured some investment from Yorkshire Water with a new Sewer in Ilkley, and there is a plan to clean up the river currently going through the Ofwat PR24 process.
Guardian article about putting water companies into Special Administration
Thames Water and other failing water companies should be placed into special administration to allow the government to tackle much-needed reforms to the industry, campaigners say.
Triggering special administration would put Thames and other failing companies in government control, removing company directors and ending the dividends paid to shareholders. The companies could then be transferred to new owners who could be publicly owned or controlled.
The campaigners include Save Windermere, Ilkley Clean River Group, Surfers Against Sewage, Windrush Against Sewage Pollution, SOS Whitstable and River Action.
You can read the whole Guardian article here
Cleaning up our rivers lakes and seas the answers
Message from Ilkley Clean River Group to all who came on World Rivers Day to the conference, and those who didn’t make it…
- Speakers slides (on the resources page)*
- Conference Poll results (on the Poll page)
- Conference photos (if you have any you would like to add pop them over)
- Messages from the conference – please do have a look as we are sure you have more to add….. This will be updated this week so we look forward to hearing from you and do come back to see the updates.
Cleaning up our Rivers, Lakes and Seas – The Answers event
Yesterday we attended the “Ilkley River Group cleaning up our Rivers, Lakes and Seas – The Answers event”.
It was great to listen to the speakers and see the data, which was difficult viewing at times.
However, cause for optimism as the solutions have started to come forward and food for thought on how we can replicate the success seen in Ilkley!
Thank you to the team at Ilkley Clean River Group for putting on such a wonderful event.
Presentation about the River Wharfe at the Wetherby Festival
There will be an excellent opportunity to learn more about the state of
the river in an event ‘The River Wharfe – Liquid Eden’ during the
forthcoming Wetherby Festival which opens on Friday, 4th and runs
until the 12th.
Mark Barrow, who has featured in many TV reports and documentary
programmes, will be appearing at the Festival on Wednesday, 9th
Oct. at 8pm. You can find details and book on the Festival website
The Festival, now in its fifth decade, is a great part of our lovely
community. There is a wonderful programme in place. You will find
more at www.wetherbyfestival.co.uk/whats-on.
Better Wetherby September 2024 Newsletter
This report featured in the BW September newsletter:
Linda Richards and other members of Wetherby and Villages Clean River group (WVCRG) recently attended a meeting convened by Leeds City Council regarding the implications of achieving Bathing Water status for the River Wharfe in Wetherby. Claire Campbell from the Environment Agency gave an update as to the action and sampling which the Agency undertake as a result of bathing water status. This sampling is done weekly from May 1 to September 30. It is expected that, in November, a classification (from excellent to poor) of the quality of the river water in Wetherby will be made. It is noted that the River Wharfe bathing quality at Ilkley, some 20 miles upstream, has been classified as “poor” for the last 3 years.
WVCRG is also involved in an ongoing additional sampling project with York University. All designated bathing water sites across the UK were invited to participate, along with Surfers against Sewage and Watershed Investigations. This project involved daily sampling of the Wharfe at Wetherby to enable broader analysis of the pollutants in the river.
WVCRG is continuing to push for improvement in the quality of the river. Achieving the water status has raised the profile of water quality with Leeds City Council and they now engage positively on this issue. Signage will be available regarding the water quality not only on the bathing site but possibly elsewhere. People are encouraged to report any pollution incidents on the river via the incident hotline for the Environment Agency – 0800 807060.
Cleaning up our Rivers, Lakes and Seas – The Answers
Ilkley Clean River Group
announce a meeting at Christchurch, The Grove, Ilkley on Sunday, 22nd September from 12:30pm till 16:30 titled:-
Cleaning up our Rivers, Lakes and Seas – The Answers
You can sign up here at Eventbrite for a free ticket:-
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/cleaning-up-our-rivers-lakes-seas-the-answers-tickets-913536882407
and read more information along with an agenda.
If you are travelling from Wetherby by car you can park in the South Hawksworth Street Car Park.
Christchurch is a 4 minute walk away.