A rippling mass of flowing blue water, we have made our way from all directions, tributaries to a collective river, marching along our host, the Thames. The houses of parliament stand tall behind us against a solid, grey sky, as the first speaker begins by asking us to close our eyes and remember our rivers, the reason we are here. Feel the water on our fingertips, the ripples, the bird song. Recall that moment of peace amidst a beautiful, powerful and caring force. I fall into a moment of autumn leaves on the dart, caught by branches that caress a reflected sunset sky.

Opening our eyes, the major rivers of the UK are called out, region by region, and the cheers of their standard-bearers echo out across the square. On the stage, some call out injustice, the water companies have taken precisely the money required to make our infrastructure sound, giving it to foreign investors who have no care for rivers. Others call for the rescue of the more-than-human community, those many species struggling, poisoned, drowned, and droughted. Yet more advocate for the rights and personhood of these ancient living beings, the rivers, for whom we must stand as guardians in our every human affair. Even those who speak of access rights, law enforcement, laboratory testing, and criminal investigations, at root recall something sacred. That moment when we find ourselves at peace, at one, held and healed by a nature beyond our knowing.

The speakers are from many walks of life - the host, River Action, the Wildlife Trust, Women's Institute, GMB union, Chris Packham, Imogen Grant, and Robert MacFarlane. Clean rivers now! And who can argue with that? 300 million hours of untreated human sewage in 2023. 60 billion pounds in dividends and bonuses since privatisation in 1989. A project premised on improving water management and customer services, an embarrassment perpetuated by Labour and Conservatives alike. While grassroots projects leverage crowdfunding and tiny grants to make change, water companies pay millions more than the fines they suffer to their shareholders.

Will this march of 15,000 people make the headlines? Can this new government, fresh in the house of parliament we stand beside, hear our call and break this pattern of abuse? I don't know. As someone who speaks to people spread out all over the UK who are organising in new ways to fight for their waters, I have heard their struggles. Some march head high, gathering ever more support. Most are tiny, under resourced organisations. While working hard, they often feel helpless in the face of regulators, government agencies, and industry - together these make a high-walled dam to hold back local efforts. But today we feel like a flood. That sense of shared effort is enough to make this worth it. We share in the outrage and optimism, joy and despair, humour and sadness. We stand, above all, in faith that together our many ripples will form a wave no wall will hold back.

The London Water March

Reflecting on COP16

The First Network Gathering