Ross-on-Wye to host Walk With The Wye Pilgrimage to raise awareness of environmental and pollution threats
rossonline
Posted On June 6, 2021
Ross-on-Wye is set to host a key stage of a Pilgrimage that will see lovers of the River Wye walk its entire length from its source in Plynlimon, Wales, to Chepstow. The event is the brainchild of the Save The Wye group and is designed to celebrate this magnificent river and to raise awareness of the environmental destruction it is facing.
The month-long Walk With The Wye Pilgrimage will begin in Plynlimon on 3rd July and reach Ross on Friday 23rd July, before setting off on the next stage of the walk to Kerne Bridge, on the morning of Saturday 24th July. It will end in Chepstow on 31st July.
To celebrate the arrival of the walk and to encourage community involvement, engaging cultural and social events will take place on the riverbank. These will include a People’s Assembly on the evening of Friday 23rd July, which will allow everyone with a love for the river to meet, discuss and share ideas about what can be done to save it from the severe environmental threats it faces today.
On the morning of Saturday, 24th July all river users, including anglers, swimmers, rowers, paddleboarders, canoeists, dog walkers and bird watchers, are invited to gather to provide a rousing send-off to the walkers heading-off to the next location on the Pilgrimage, at Kerne Bridge.
At this point, pure water collected from the source at Plynlimon will be used to symbolically anoint the river to demonstrate the decline in purity and quality that is all too evident in the middle and lower reaches of the Wye.
The Ross stage of the Pilgrimage is being overseen by Save The Wye member and local resident Kristina Jamieson, who says: “Urgent action is needed to save the Wye and its tributaries from the chemicals, sewage, manure, plastics and invasive plants which we know are destroying the natural balance of the river. Algal blooms, caused by excessive levels of phosphates and nitrates, are multiplying and key species of plants and animals are in decline.
“The aim of Walk With The Wye is to bring communities together to defend and celebrate our beautiful river, to raise public awareness of current threats and to INSPIRE ACTION!
“We want to encourage as many people as possible to join in this appreciation of the river we all love. The walk to Kerne Bridge on the Saturday is open to everyone, but participants must be aware that involvement is at their own risk.”
More details of the Walk With The Wye Pilgrimage and the river bank events in Ross will be announced soon.
All the walks and events will adhere strictly to any Covid safety measures that are in place at the time.
