Become a Friend of the River Medway
Become a Friend of the River.
Over the past few centuries, our relationship with rivers has grown distant. Rivers have been treated as resources to extract from, or as problems to manage — background to human activity, rather than part of the living fabric that sustains it.
Pollution, chemical runoff, sewage overflows, and over-extraction are not isolated incidents. They are symptoms of a wider culture of disconnection — a throwaway mindset that treats water as limitless and rivers as waste channels.
But it hasn't always been this way.
Not so long ago, rivers were places of reverence. Burial sites along the Medway suggest that offerings were once common signs of respect and reciprocity. British folklore is alive with references to water as a portal to the otherworld: mysterious, life-giving, and sacred.
In the UK, we use an average of 140–150 litres of water per person each day. In many parts of the world, people use no more than 20 — with deep gratitude for its presence.
What is a Friend of the River?
Many of us will know what it feels like to be in a friendship where one side gives more than the other. As humans, we've drifted into that imbalance — taking more than we give. Now, it's time to ask a different question: What can we offer in return?
For us, being a friend means showing deep care, love, and reverence. It's about slowing down, paying attention, and truly listening to the River — recognising that she is not just a feature of the landscape, but a living presence deserving of the same compassion and reciprocity we offer in our closest human relationships.
Like any true friendship, becoming a friend to the River takes time. It's through steady attention, gentle care, and quiet acts of kindness that we begin to truly know her. This is a commitment not just to protect, but to honour — to walk alongside the River in companionship rather than control.
To become a Friend of the River is to remember something ancient — not a new idea, but a very old way of being. A way in which rivers were honoured, not harmed. Where they were seen not as sewers or backdrops, but as living beings.
Make your pledge to the River.
We don't need to wait for governments or companies — the power is in our hands. Through everyday choices, collective action, and a shift in mindset, we can become protectors and partners to the River once more. Choose an action, make your pledge, and add it to our live Pledge to the River Medway. Tag us @formedway and use #FriendOfTheMedway.
Most cleaning products are filled with synthetic compounds — some so persistent they're called "forever chemicals." These toxins don't disappear: they flow from our sinks into rivers, harming fish and rewriting ecosystems. One fifth of male fish in UK rivers now have female traits because of the chemicals in our products.
Industrial farming douses crops with synthetic pesticides and fertilizers — and it doesn't stay on the fields. Rain carries these chemicals straight into rivers, poisoning aquatic life. Organic and regenerative farming keeps rivers clean by reducing pollutants, improving soil health, and increasing biodiversity.
Many popular flea treatments contain pesticides so toxic they're banned in farming — yet we still put them on our cats and dogs. These chemicals enter waterways when it rains or when your pet swims. There, they wreak havoc on aquatic life, killing the insects that fish and birds rely on.
Many garden pesticides are laced with toxins so potent they've been banned from farms. When it rains, these chemicals are swept into storm drains and flow straight into rivers — poisoning insects, disorientating bees, harming birds, and wiping out the tiny bugs that keep ecosystems alive.
Each person in the UK uses 142 litres of water a day — a third of that just to flush the loo with drinking-quality water. Worse still, overflows send waste into rivers, polluting ecosystems. Human waste, when safely composted, becomes a rich source of nutrients capable of restoring soils, not polluting waterways.
Long before the Romans arrived, the Indigenous peoples of these lands honoured rivers as sacred — recognising that their lives were deeply woven into the flow of these waterways. A Riverside Celebration is an invitation to change our relationship with the River — to engage with her not as a backdrop, but as a vital presence worth knowing and protecting.
You don't need a lab coat to make a difference. Our Ripple Effect team has uncovered numerous sources of pollution that might have gone unnoticed without community effort. The power to create real change is in our hands — it's as simple as stepping outside, visiting the river, and paying attention.
Corporations have legally-recognised rights. Rivers don't. Around the world, communities are rising to change that — demanding that rivers be recognised not as property or resources, but as living beings with legal rights: the right to flow freely, to remain clean and vibrant, to nurture life in all its forms. Rivers have Rights.
Every gesture matters.
Whether it's reducing chemical use at home, speaking up for the Rights of the River, or simply spending time beside the water — you are part of something larger than any one action.
Sign the Pledge to the River Medway →