Pilgrimage for the River Medway: Communities Walk Source to Sea to Champion River Rights

From 19 to 27 July 2025, the Friends of the River Medway (FoRM) joined by local communities will walk the entire length of the River Medway – from its source in Sussex to its mouth at the Kent coast.

From Source to Sea

The pilgrimage will honour the river, connect communities along its banks, and call for greater action to clean and protect its waters.

The walk will be a moving festival, featuring:

• Public feasts made from ingredients grown along the Medway
• An art exhibition and sound installation with Greenwich University
• Singing, storytelling, and a documentary capturing the journey
• Opportunities for positive action, including litter picking and citizen science workshops
• River-loo-lution – a compost toilet raising awareness of the 17,000 litres of drinking water per person flushed every year and impact on rivers. 

Charter for the Rights of the River Medway

At the heart of this journey is a bold goal: the creation of a Charter for the Rights of the River Medway, calling for legal recognition of the river as a living entity with rights to flow and, thrive, free from pollution.

Friends of the River Medway (FoRM) has invited leaders from every local authority along the river to a gathering mid-pilgrimage. Two councils – Wealden and Maidstone – have already stepped forward:

• Wealden District Council will vote on adopting the charter on 17 July. It is championed by Rachel Millward, Deputy Leader of the council, candidate for Deputy Leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, and a founder of FoRM.
• Maidstone Borough Council, led by long-time river advocate Stuart Jeffery, also believes in the rights of Nature and is in full support of Wealden’s pursuit of the Rights of the River Medway.

This ambition is inspired by successful river rights movements worldwide: New Zealand’s Whanganui River was granted legal personhood in 2017, and Colombia’s Atrato River and Spain’s Mar Menor lagoon also have legal protection as living systems.

If the goal for FoRM is successful, this would mark a UK first: multiple councils jointly declaring support for a river’s legal rights.

Rachel Millward, Councillor for Hartfield Ward and deputy leader of Wealden Council, says this is a vital step towards recognising that rivers don’t observe political boundaries, and greater collaboration across catchments are critical for the success of river restoration.

“Having been part of Friends of the River Medway since its beginning, and before I was elected, I’m just delighted that Wealden District Council will, be considering supporting our communities in declaring the rights of the river.”

“This is about reconnecting people with place, recognising that a healthy river supports all life around it. Our relationship with nature has gone badly wrong, and this is a way to continue the journey of putting that right,” says Millward.

How can people get involved?

The pilgrimage takes place from 19 – 27 July, travelling from Forest Row in Sussex to the Hoo Peninsula in Kent, with  a series of events along the way. People are invited to join the walk, attend an event, or follow the journey online:

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