SWV Rivers Forum

Empowering Change

A Call to Arms

Book your place at the 2025 Forum

The Rivers’ Forum is about finding solutions: solutions to the UK's river pollution crisis, while opening up opportunities to training and employment for Veterans within the conservation and rivers sector.

Too many who have influence on what happens with our rivers work in silos and do not have a forum to work together with decision makers and tech companies. SWV consulted government bodies, river and environmental groups, charities, developers, landowners, water companies, tech companies and philanthropists about the need for a Rivers’ Forum and received an overwhelming “Yes! This would really help.”

The Forum is an opportunity to create relationships to drive real change and collaborative impact. This is NOT just a physical clean up of the waterways. The Forum provides a neutral platform to discuss the challenges in river conservation and water quality creating outcome orientated and collaborative approaches to the problems, as well as creating opportunities for Veterans within this sector.

The Rivers’ Forum 2025 will take place from Tuesday 13th - Wednesday 14th May at Lillibrooke Manor, Maidenhead SL6 3LP.

To book your place at Forum please click here or email [email protected]

The Rivers' Forum Deliverables

Creating opportunities for Veterans to support, lead, plan and execute project plans as well as creating qualifications for working on the rivers
To gather change-makers, not for profits, government bodies, philanthropists, tech companies and universities together on a neutral ground.
Establish collaboration to drive change.

“The Rivers Forum is rapidly establishing itself as the gathering for those who care about our rivers. Focused and intimate, the senior attendees result in the highest quality debate and action.”

- Graham Thomas, Chairman, Rivers Trust

Venue, travel and Accommodation

The next Rivers’ Forum Conference will once again held at the beautiful Lillibrooke Manor, Maidenhead, SL6 3LP, from Tuesday 13th - Wednesday 14th May 2025.

Travel

By rail
Paddington to Maidenhead – ~1 hour
Maidenhead Station to Lillibrooke Manor - ~10 minutes
By car
Via M4 / A404(M) - Holyport Interchange to SL6 3AD
Parking available at Lillibrooke Manor
Local Accommodation & Costs
Hotels in Maidenhead include: (Prices - 2023)

Travel Lodge - £53 per night – 10 minutes
Premier Inn - £58 per night – 10 minutes
Thames Riviera - £128 per night – 10 minutes
CIM Moor Hall - £120 per night – 18 minutes
Burnham Beeches Hotel - £120 per night – 16 minutes

Challenges faced on UK rivers

Pollution of the UK’s rivers differs between the devolved nations, between industrial, rural and farming areas, from catchment to catchment. Even where people are prepared or not prepared to take ownership for their river management.

Types of pollution may have changed over the last 30 years but there is no doubt that the UK’s rivers are still very polluted. Unless there is collaborative leadership, investment and innovative focus on their management now, there will be no improvement for future generations.

Challenges include:

Insufficient progress in the amount of collaboration, communication and transparency between government, the water companies, environmental and recreation groups.

Prioritisation of infrastructure investment and resources deployed to execute.

An inconsistent regulatory framework and a lack of resources to enforce it.

An inconsistent approach to monitoring and water quality testing. There is a need for a single structure for pollution management and data capture UK-wide.

Insufficient recognition and enforcement of agriculture’s impact on pollution, e.g. of rising nitrate levels etc.

A need for more technology input and opportunities to be used to solve problems on the rivers.

Lack of a UK-wide approach to testing & monitoring personnel, training and fundraising.

Why SWV?

Supporting Wounded Veterans’ mission is to enable wounded, injured or sick veterans to be supported and guided in their return to employment. All our strategy pillars are designed to help our Veterans get back to society in good or better shape than when they first came to us using various support pathways. Involvement in these programmes helps to rebuild confidence, and give back a sense of purpose - something that is often missing since leaving the Armed Forces.

The Rivers' Forum is not only an important event to work towards solutions for the UK's river pollution problem, but will also provide training and employment opportunities for Veterans within the conservation and river sector. One of SWV's main support pathways - The Occupation, Training & Employment Pathway - supports Veterans back out into employment with guidance and advice along the way. The Rivers' Forum will provide unique opportunities for those Veterans who wish to form a new career path in the conservation and rivers sector, while helping to fight the river pollution problem as well.

There are some 1500 discrete river systems in the United Kingdom comprising over 200,000 km of watercourses. Only 14% of England’s rivers meet good ecological status, with only one river given safe swimming accreditation. Scotland is the only country within the United Kingdom where over 50% of its rivers meet good ecological health. To tackle the issues of pollution there is not one “cure-all” and particularly no easy alternatives for some of the problems. However, trying to avoid working in silos and realising that working better together will give much more impetus and strength to finding solutions.
The treatment of our nation’s waterways is potentially the next biggest battle to be faced down by our Veterans. The charity is convening the Forum to design and implement a plan to be used throughout the four nations and involves Veterans in the planning, logistics and implementation of the strategy, helping to open doors to more opportunities for Veterans, helping them to rebuild a new career path, as well as giving them back a sense of purpose.