Three brave swimmers who tackled the whole River Eden last summer, are set to present their water pollution battle.
The adventurers, Julia Aglionby, Jenny Prosser, and Kit Hollings, will share their experience at the Croglin Village Hall on April 4 at 7pm.
They're also set to discuss their plans for continuing the fight against water pollution.
Their event follows hot on the heels of Environment Agency data showing the number of hours raw sewage released by water companies had increased by over 50 per cent in 2023.
Julia Aglionby, Jenny Prosser and Kit Hollings, who brave the chilly waters of the Eden all year round, undertook the challenge of swimming all 80 miles of the river from its source in the fells near Kirkby Stephen to the sea at the Solway Firth.
They did this not for thrills, but to highlight the poor water quality of the River Eden.
Julia, who is standing for the Liberal Democrats to be the next MP for Penrith and Solway, said: “We feel blessed to live in such an incredible region, but recognise the urgent need to fight to protect the stunning landscape we live in.
There is an excellent @guardian look up tool to see how polluted your river is using just released @EnvAgency data. 1/3https://t.co/5BAZi5m9Yi
— Julia Aglionby 🧡 (@EdenSwimmer) March 28, 2024
"It is shocking how the government allows organisations such as United Utilities to pollute and mismanage our waterways.”
In the coming year, they plan to keep monitoring the water quality of 15 River Eden sites, calling for volunteer assistance for their Freshwater Watch Citizen Science Team.
"We've been very heartened by the volunteer interest so far," said Kit Hollings.
"A commitment to join our monitoring team shows just how much locals care about the health and wellbeing of our beautiful Eden."
The North Pennines AONB Partnership’s Fellfoot Forward Lanscape Partnership and the National Lottery supported this documentary project.
Its premiere was hosted by the Penrith Alhambra at their 'Green Screen' event earlier this year.
For more information or to join the team, follow @viewfromtheriver on Instagram
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