THE first UK River Summit, hosted on the banks of the River Test, will discuss how to tackle the decline in rivers.

The event will be held on Tuesday June 13 near Romsey.

It will bring together influential environmental speakers and experts to talk about the state of our rivers in the UK and the action needed.

Concerns have been growing about damage to rivers, especially Hampshire chalk streams such as the Test and Itchen, from farming and discharges of sewage by Southern Water.

READ MORE HERE: Petition to improve water quality on River Test

Beginning at 9.30am, a panel of speakers will discuss topics across, water scarcity, agricultural and sewage pollution, the environmental impacts of industrial practices in the countryside, and much more, followed by a Q&A.

Speakers include actor and founder of Activist Anglers Jim Murray, Penny Gane Head of Practice at Fish Legal, Jamie Cook, chief executive of Angling Trust, and Nick Measham CEO of WildFish, with more to be announced.

Following the success of the first River Summit and Festival in September 2022 in France and taking place on 14-16 September 2023, Organiser, Claire Zambuni's ambition was always to bring this concept back to the UK.

SEE MORE: Raw sewage flowing into Itchen is an 'environmental disaster'

Ms 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.”

She continued: “The Orvis ‘Ginger Beer’ Beat in Kimbridge is a fitting venue to host a Summit about the state of our rivers in the U.K, 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 then 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 Optics. Wessex Rivers Trust and Orvis UK. 

READ ALSO: Conservation project to boost crayfish populations on chalk stream

Swarovski Optik is one of the events founding partners and will be in attendance at the event.

Peter Antoniou, country manager UK and Rep of Ireland, Swarovski-Optik said, “SWAROVSKI OPTIK is a family firm, with strong roots in Tyrol Austria, an area of exceptional beauty, and considers it its duty to care for the environment, protect nature, and preserve the wealth of different species. The appreciation of nature is therefore an essential part of its company philosophy. We are very proud to be part of the UK River Summit and look forward to meeting like-minded people who appreciate and care for our rivers and wildlife.”

Tickets cost £40pp and include access to The UK River Summit, lunch and workshops, available to purchase here: https://buytickets.at/theriverfestivalandriversummit/827240