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Swimmers fight to keep pollution out of the the River Avon to keep it safe for swimming

A general view of the River Avon at Straford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, on April 10, 2012 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
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A general view of the River Avon at Straford-Upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare, on April 10, 2012 in Stratford-Upon-Avon, England. (Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

The River Avon runs through Bristol, England, where there’s a dedicated community of open water swimmers who swim in the river. Some do it all year long, even though sewer overflow runs into the river, especially after rainstorms, polluting the water.

A group of swimmers is campaigning for the Avon to get bathing status by the British government, which would mean the water would be regularly tested for pollutants and dumping, and the waters would have to be kept clean enough to be safe for swimmers.

Charlotte Sawyer tells the story of the swimmers and activists fighting to protect the river in the documentary “Rave on for the Avon.” Here & Now‘s Scott Tong speaks with Sawyer and Megan Ruth-Trump, one of the swimmers and activists in the film.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2025 WBUR

Here & Now Newsroom

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

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