Friends of the River Medway Community Celebration
An evening to look back on our year together, and dream up the next
📅 Thursday 19th November 🕕 6pm – 9pm 📍 Central Forest Row (venue TBC) 🎟 Free, all welcome
As the nights draw in and the Medway swells with autumn rain, we’re gathering to honour the river and the community that has grown up around her. Whether you’ve waded in to test the water with us, walked alongside us on the pilgrimage, or simply feel a quiet pull towards the river, you are warmly welcome. Come as you are, and bring a friend: the more the merrier.
The evening
🍲 6:00 – 6:30pm | Arrive, settle in and share some food
🌊 6:30 – 7:00pm | FORM’s year so far, and what’s coming next
💬 7:00 – 8:00pm | Your voice: dream up the future together around the tables
🎶 8:00 – 9:00pm | Unwind with music and good company
What a year it’s been
This year, ordinary people who love their river have achieved extraordinary things. Come and hear how:
🔬 Ripple Effect citizen science: Meet the volunteers whose testing, evidence and persistence have pushed Southern Water to commit to real change for the river. Proof that when a community pays close attention, those in power have to listen.
🚶 Our 2026 source-to-sea pilgrimage: Hear how walking the Medway from her source to the sea transformed people’s relationship with the river, and gave birth to the Rights of the River Medway Charter. It builds on the groundwork of last year, when we inspired two councils to formally acknowledge the river’s rights.
🎬 River Pilgrim, our new film: Get a first glimpse of the film we’ve been making about our 2025 journey. It’s a story of how ordinary people can create change for their ecosystem, and of the unstoppable power of community.
🌾 Working with farmers: Learn about our partnerships with farmers in the Upper Medway, and join us in celebrating the people doing the hard, often unseen work of caring for the land and water.
🌍 Our vision for next year: We’re dreaming bigger than ever. Next year, we want to inspire groups across the country to walk their own rivers in pilgrimage, and to create change for the waters they love.
Your voice
This evening isn’t just about us sharing: it’s about listening. We want to hear what you love about the river, what you’d like to be part of, and what you dream of for her future. Big ideas, small ideas, wild ideas: bring them all, and help shape what comes next.
A warm and cosy evening
Above all, it will be a beautiful night. Wrap your hands around a steaming cup of mulled apple juice, tuck into delicious organic food and treat yourself to a slice (or two) of homemade cake, all available to buy on the night. All proceeds go back into restoring the river and deepening our relationship with her.
Tickets are free. Reserve yours now so we know how much mulled apple juice to warm up. We can’t wait to see you there.
With love from all of us at the Friends of the River Medway