After a lifetime of laps in swimming pools, I discovered, rather late in life, the joys of ‘wild’ swimming and dipping in our local rivers. Wading into the cool water to join the dragonflies, ducks and swans was like entering another world. I felt freer, younger and closer to the nature that I’ve come to love. Then the news started coming out about the sewage discharges and the poor health of the river. People said, ‘Don’t swim, it’s dangerous’, ‘you’ll get sick’, ‘you’re mad’! I didn’t want to walk away from the world of cold water and nature that I’d come to love. I wanted to learn more and understand what was really happening to the river and I could only do this by linking up with other river people. I heard about Sean who had been testing for Ecoli for a year, Claire who was mad about bats and river larvae, Clare who collected horrendous piles of litter every day on her SUP board and a growing group of locals who were concerned for their river. As luck would have it, a Dutch couple, Drinkable Rivers’, were passing through Windsor on their campaign walk along the Thames from the source to the sea. We were inspired and RiverWatch was created. Surfers Against Sewage support and partner us. We are all learning more about our river and the real challenges facing it. I really enjoy being part of a group of river voices who all value the river in different ways. I feel the river has become a friend going through a tough time and needing its own voice. It’s good to feel a small part of that voice.

As a rower for many years, I value the precious resource our rivers are for the biodiversity they bring as well as the well being of everyone that has access to them. Now on most days I find myself walking along or near the River Thames, so the health of this ecosystem is important to me. For this reason, I joined Windsor RiverWatch and in doing so have got more involved in its Citizen Science programme and other initiatives.

The river provides peace and tranquility for me both as a swimmer and Stand Up Paddle Boarder. I am so fortunate to live by the River Thames. I love to watch the seasons pass by with the river bursting into life in the Spring, the blossoming Summer, the turning colours in Autumn and the icy Winter. The river is such a life force, a huge giver and brings an immense sense of well being. For this reason I joined Windsor RiverWatch so that I can play a small part in protecting this treasured resource.

I’m lucky to have lived close to the River Thames in Berkshire for the past 20 years. My son grew up swimming in it, and I’m still a regular outdoor swimmer myself. A few years ago, I came across a local news story about a major untreated sewage spill upstream from where I usually swim — it was the first I’d heard of it. I got in touch with Thames Water to find out more, but after months of chasing, I got nowhere. That’s when I realised: if I wanted to know what was really in the water, I’d have to test it myself. That decision set me off on a journey that eventually led me to Surfers Against Sewage. For the past three years, with help from Kirsty and her brilliant team at SAS, I’ve been testing the water. They’ve provided the equipment, training, and support to get it done properly. Our samples go off to an accredited lab, and the results are published. But because the Thames is constantly flowing, those results only give a snapshot — the water quality can change within minutes. So we realised we needed to test at multiple locations and more frequently. That’s when I heard about Becca starting Windsor River Watch. After attending the first meeting, I knew I’d found like-minded people who care just as much about our river. There’s real strength in our group. We’ve got people with all sorts of skills and passions, and together we make Windsor River Watch what it is — a community keeping a close eye on the river that runs through and supports all our lives.

I moved to area over 10 years ago and fell in love with our waterways from day 1. I’m an active member of EtonWick Waterways Group, who are a River Action group for Thames21 and can be found helping with river management or wombling around. I’m also a volunteer local borough Flood Warden. With a desire to champion our valuable blue infrastructure, a reduction sewage releases, pollution events and unbalanced nutrient levels I became involved in several citizen science projects; PlasticBlitz, Riverfly monitoring and National Bat Monitoring Programme surveys, to measure the rebalance of ecosystems, & biodiversity. Already friends with many others who’ve become Windsor RiverWatch members, we linked up when the Drinkable Rivers team came through town, a couple of chats later we realised how we were all in fact chipping away at championing the same cause. We’ve come together and with that collective energy I’m so proud to see and hear the plight of our waterways being raised to a higher profile locally as well as nationally.

Jo Smith got involved with the campaign to clean up our rivers when she realised she no longer felt it was safe to take her family swimming at Cookham. She's been a regular river user since moving to Maidenhead over 20 years ago; has swum the Boulters to Bray a couple of times and paddleboards. Jo is an active Labour Party member and takes every opportunity to lobby the Government on this important matter.

Hi I'm Kathryn I've always loved the Thames. I spent 20 years working at Thames Water and know how integral the river is to our wellbeing and water supply. It wasn't until I started regularly swimming in the Thames and Jubilee that I realised how the water was affected by us, not only water pollution but the volume of litter left behind by people enjoying the water and environment. I've joined River Watch to support our beautiful river for now and the future.

As a very keen fly fisherman Wilson has always been keen to be near and in water. Retirement offered time for the annual holiday open water swim to become a regular occurrence. To help himself and others better understand what is in the Thames he started water testing and now tests using four different methods and shares his results, along with 20 other sites up and down the Thames on the website.

I'm Tara Crist, and I joined Windsor RiverWatch in the spring of 2024. At that time, widespread publicity about poor river health was significantly impacting my paddleboard business. While river quality typically improves in drier months, the public sought scientific assurance that the Thames was safe to enjoy. I was introduced to Sean, a fellow Maidenhead resident and an enthusiastic Thames swimmer, through the group. I immediately began attending monthly meetings and, confident in the water quality, started swimming myself. I also became involved in water testing whenever Sean was traveling. Since then, my company, Paddleboard Maidenhead, has become a passionate member of this group. This involvement gives both myself and my clients confidence in the latest water testing results. I've also found invaluable support within the group for managing "Friends of Ray Mill Island," a community of volunteers dedicated to enhancing the island's biodiversity and beauty. This initiative has also evolved into an educational hub for various nature-based projects and organizations. Through Windsor RiverWatch, I've learned that increasing native plant species leads to greater insect diversity, which in turn supports the bat population—just one example of the many ways rewilding is crucial. I believe that through Windsor RiverWatch, we draw on each other's strengths and passions, becoming more knowledgeable each month by listening and inspiring one another. While there's no single step to clean up and support a healthier river, collectively, we are making a difference and educating others along the way.

Mark is an enthusiastic triathlete and has been swimming in rivers and lakes for 30 years - he is keen to support all work to improve water quality and to encourage more people to safely use rivers and lakes for recreational activities. Since getting involved in local politics and being elected as an RBWM councillor in 2023, he is keen to amplify the work and campaign messages of Windsor RiverWatch and use his position to boost the campaign for cleaner, safer rivers.

As a local resident I enjoy using the river Thames, lakes and waterways for sport and leisure. When travelling around in the UK and overseas, exploring the same kind of waterways, and the sea, is always a favourite feature whether to swim, kayak, SUP board and walk, cycle by, or watch sport and wildlife. This raises so many questions to me about the water quality, wildlife and what is happening to both. Attending Windsor RiverWatch meetings helps me to understand more about local and national facts and issues that impact our rivers and environment. It’s easy to keep in touch and I feel I can take a part, in small ways, to protect nature now and safeguard it for the future. Seeing Kingfishers flitting by this week is a great reminder that our river wildlife is precious and we can take steps to cherish it.

I'm a self-proclaimed river rat, having lived on a boat on the Thames since 2012, and more recently in bricks and mortar next to my boat. A lifelong wild swimmer, the river played an extra special role for me when my husband Eddy was killed in 2018 and I was left raising a two-year-old on the water. The river, its calm presence, its endless opportunities for fun, and its unwavering presence became something of a lifesaver. I joined Windsor Riverwatch in 2024 to help with the efforts to protect an incredibly special stretch of biodiversity. I also feel a sense of responsibility to protect the river I am so fortunate to live with.

Lizzie and Kirsty are honoury members of Windsor Riverwatch. Without their support we wouldn't have our marketing campaign underway, together with banners, flags, logo and website. They have been instrumental in our Citizen Science testing program. Training, ongoing support, equipment supply...the list goes on. Thank-you Kirsty and Lizzie!

I’ve lived in the area for a long time and love our green and blue spaces. Walking and cycling the Thames path over the years has been my happy place with many of life’s big decisions being made on one of the benches watching the water flow. I’m an occasional river user and information I learn from our group has empowered me to be more confident with our waterways and to dig deeper than the doom spreaders and negative press. The river can contain both good and bad quality water. The key is understanding the difference and the driving factors. Our Citizen Science approach gives me local stats collected and managed by us. I appreciate that as a group we see the wide biodiversity picture from river bed to the sky focussing on data of key indicators. We can’t save the planet in the blink of an eye but we can at least do our bit for our patch.

I’ve been a Windsor resident for over 30 years. For me, adventure lies outdoors – whether it's climbing, hill trekking, or enjoying invigorating wild swims. I have a passion for the natural world and enjoy witnessing the wildlife on cycling, walking, and swimming excursions along the Thames river. Witnessing the growing damage from pollution has spurred me to join RiverWatch to actively seek ways to help heal and protect this vital waterway."