The Riverside Code is a beautiful and useful 16-page pocket booklet. It’s full of gorgeous illustrations by artist Jessica Eve Watkins, including a stunning catchment map to communicate that everything that happens in this area affects the health of the River Wye - so the river’s future is in our hands.

We’re celebrating how loved the river is and giving people the tools to turn that love for the river into action to restore it to health. 

The Riverside Code explains how to effectively identify and report pollution incidents to the regulators - for example, being able to identify sewage fungus, or to tell the difference between a natural oily sheen and an oil spill. It also clearly communicates the key farming rules, for example around manure spreading and storage.

It includes actions we can take in our homes and by the river, raising awareness about the deadly threat of pet flea treatments and more. It lists all the amazing organisations working to protect the Wye, signposting readers to local volunteering opportunities and further information. 

It also encourages readers to take part in our Big Ranunculus Watch, to help us understand why we’ve lost so much of the water crowfoot that used to blanket the river. 

And it features a brand new short poem called 'The River Is Us’ by renowned Welsh poet Owen Sheers. 

The best hope for our rivers is that all who love them step up to protect them. The Riverside Code is full of ideas and inspiration to help us become better river guardians.

We’d love to see it adopted, and adapted, for rivers across the country!