THE UK's first River Summit is set to be held on the banks of the Test to talk about the state of our rivers.
This has been a hot topic locally with Southern Water being criticised for discharging sewage into chalk streams.
The late Lord Chidgey was at the forefront of the battle to save the sensitive bodies of water with his particular concern the state of the River Arle near his hometown of Alresford.
The event, on Tuesday June 13, will begin at 9.30am with a panel of speakers discussing various topics across water scarcity, agricultural and sewage pollution and the environmental impacts of industrial practices in the countryside, followed by a Q&A.
Summit speakers include actor and founder of Activist Anglers Jim Murray, Penny Gane head of practice at Fish Legal, Jamie Cook CEO of Angling Trust, and Nick Measham CEO of WildFish, with more to be announced.
READ MORE: Southern Water boss comes under fire at council meeting
Claire Zambuni, founder of The UK River Summit, said: “We have gathered river people from all different walks of life and professions, enabling conversations and finding solutions. Being at the heart of the water quality debate in everything we do, we saw this as a valuable opportunity to open up this critical discussion to a wider audience.
"With so much anger and outrage in the media surrounding our waterways, we hope this event will not only facilitate lively debate but also collaborative discussion among different stakeholders, all of whom have a passion for our waterways. We invite the public to learn first-hand the issues our rivers are facing and distill our anger to make a positive change.
“The Orvis ‘Ginger Beer’ Beat in Kimbridge is a fitting venue to host a summit about the state of our rivers in the UK, highlighting chalk streams as important habitats for wildlife, which support a massive range of species, making them rare havens that must be protected. We are grateful to Orvis UK for supporting the event by opening this venue to the public, giving everyone a chance to be part of the conversation.”
Guests will be provided with a wild food riverside lunch by Nick Weston and his team at Hunter Gather Cook, with a bar by Lakedown Brewing Company, followed by an afternoon on the River Test with workshops from event partners; Hunter Gather Cook, Swarovski Optik and Orvis UK.
Tickets cost £40pp and include access to the UK River Summit, lunch and workshops.
They are available at: buytickets.at/theriverfestivalandriversummit/827240.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here