A CELEBRATION of the River Wye took place in Ross over the bank holiday weekend with over 100 singers joining in a Riversong.

During this joyful day of community celebration, The Forest of Dean Climate Choir were joined by members of the Climate Choir Movement who gathered along the banks of the River Wye to sing four specially composed water songs: Why Wye Wye, Dirty Water, Flow Wandering River and Will You Be the Change?

The Goddess of the Wye, Lady Wye and a range of local choirs and musicians were also part of the celebrations.

Save the Wye, a grassroots coalition of local groups and concerned citizens from both sides of the Welsh border, is fighting for urgent government action to end all pollution, restore the river’s health, and ensure the Wye remains a clean, thriving river for generations to come.

Campaigner Rachel Bomford from St Briavels said: “The poor state of our rivers is now common knowledge and the causes, including the damage caused by climate change, are well documented.

“Riversong is a day of song, ceremony and celebration giving thanks to our precious rivers and all the amazing people who are working tirelessly behind the scenes to protect them.”

Climate Choir Movement co-founder Jo Flanagan added: "We're honoured to bring the Climate Choir’s voice to Riversong at Ross-on-Wye, a celebration of community, nature, and the urgent need to protect our precious waterways.

“Clean rivers is not just an environmental issue, it is the vein of our living landscape. Through song, we hope to inspire action and reconnect people to the rhythms of the natural world that sustain us all."

Today, the river faces an ecological crisis: pollution, driven by a toxic cocktail of sewage (22 per cent), microplastics, superbugs and excessive agricultural nutrients (over 70 per cent), triggering algal blooms that suffocate the river by collapsing its once-vibrant web of life.