Celebrating Rivers with The River Summit and Festival
Our Why
Rivers aren't just water - they're the arteries of our communities and ecosystems. They sustain life, spark curiosity, and nurture well-being in ways we're only beginning to understand. We exist to help people connect with rivers differently - moving beyond seeing them as resources to be managed toward understanding them as vital partners in our shared future.
By making river knowledge accessible to everyone, fostering genuine connections between people and waterways, and creating spaces where diverse voices can collaborate, we're working to ensure healthy rivers for generations to come. Because when rivers thrive, communities thrive. When we protect waterways, we protect spaces for connection, reflection, and renewal that our world desperately needs.
Our Vision
We see a future where protecting rivers isn't left to experts alone - it's something we all understand and actively participate in. Where water company CEOs work alongside community volunteers, where government ministers listen to local river guardians, where scientists and artists collaborate to find solutions nobody could imagine alone.
Through the River Summit and Festival, we're building the independent platform where these conversations happen naturally. Where local knowledge meets national policy, where traditional approaches combine with innovative thinking, where everyone - regardless of background or expertise - has a voice in shaping how we protect our waterways.
We're creating a movement where rivers unite us instead of divide us. Where the urgent work of river protection happens through connection, collaboration, and genuine respect for different perspectives. Because the future of our rivers depends on all of us working together - and that future starts with bringing the right people into the same room by the water.
Our Mission
We create the spaces where impossible conversations become possible. By bringing together voices that rarely share the same platform - from government ministers to community volunteers, water company CEOs to passionate campaigners - we prove that collaboration beats confrontation every time.
Our job is simple: get the right people in the same room by the river and remove the barriers to genuine dialogue. We do this through events that combine serious policy discussions with creative expression, where learning happens through art as much as analysis, where practical solutions emerge from unexpected partnerships.
Whether you're a scientist, an activist, a policymaker, or someone who simply loves rivers, there's a place for you in this conversation. Because protecting our waterways isn't just about environmental policy - it's about building the collaborative relationships that make real change possible.
"The River Festival and Summit was an amazing space to meet up with NGOs, leaders, academics and politicians to share tactics, build collaborations and deepen understanding. It felt a very calm and privileged space to take the time to hear the full range of perspectives, rather than residing in the echo chamber of like minds. Claire was an amazing hostess, making the whole event feel more garden party than protest, and that was instrumental in helping people feel welcome and valued. There was plenty of opportunity for small discussions as well as getting access to the very best evidence on both the state of our water ways and the solutions. I made new friends and had some very challenging conversations. Thank you."
- - Professor Becky Malby, BEM
“Last year, the UK River Summit was described by industry and environmental leaders as a catalyst for change—and that’s exactly what we set out to create. The overwhelming feedback was that people had never been to an event where such a diverse group of stakeholders—scientists, anglers, policymakers, campaigners, regulators, and creatives—came together in one room, all united by a shared commitment to protecting our rivers. It was powerful, energising, and long overdue. With The River Summit and Festival, we’re building on that momentum—creating not just a platform, but a movement. A space where conversation leads to collaboration, and where action is driven by shared passion, not silos. We are committed to staying fiercely independent so that we can encourage open, robust discussion and facilitate the important debates that need to happen—without agenda, and without fear. In doing so, we hope to spark the kind of partnerships that lead to meaningful, lasting impact for our rivers.”
- Claire Zambuni, Founder of The UK River Summit & Festival
James Wallace, CEO of River Action said, "The UK River Summit is rapidly becoming a key date in the environmental sector events diary. With a combination of discussion panels, talks and festival-like side shows, Claire Zambuni and her small team have structured a truly inspiring, welcoming and pragmatic event. Using our discussions on the freshwater emergency and imminent water shortages as an example, the Summit is not just a talk shop. As with the rest of the day, the participants and attendees were engaged in considering practical solutions to the challenges facing our rivers, and how we will work together with urgency to implement them. I look forward very much to next year's programme and offer all the support River Action can muster to ensure it builds on this year's successes."
Learn About Us
On 13th June 2023, we invited the public to the first UK River Summit, hosted on the banks of the River Test. The event successfully brought together some of the country’s most influential environmental speakers and experts to talk about the state of our rivers in the UK and the action needed.
Check out our event video by FridaySky to get a feel for what we’re all about.