Representatives, in order of appearance, include:
Mark Barrow, Beneath British Waters, underwater filmmaker, specialising purely in freshwater. For more than three decades, Mark has dedicated his life to capturing the beauty, power and extraordinary mystery of Britain’s rivers through his camera. But beneath the surface of every river lies a world that few people ever see – a hidden wilderness alive with colour, movement and remarkable creatures. Mark’s passion is to bring that world into view.
With more than 30 years of experience as an underwater filmmaker, Mark has developed a unique approach to capturing Britain’s freshwater fish in their natural environment. From the graceful grayling and powerful barbel to elusive pike, perch, salmon and the extraordinary European eel, every encounter reveals another chapter in the story of our rivers.
“Beneath the Oars“ Shot on the main Thames at Henley, on the stunning St Patrick’s Stream where minnows were caught in full breeding colours, and along the River Loddon, Beneath the Oars tells the story of a river system that most people standing on the famous Henley bank have never seen. The hidden tributaries that feed the Greater Thames, the life that persists despite pollution and degradation, the extraordinary underwater world that exists just beneath the surface of one of the most iconic stretches of water in the world.
Mary Manandhar (PhD) is convenor of River Hope and The Gathering: for water and Nature, a series of events held in March 2026 across local venues including the Crowne Plaza Hotel and Stratford upon Avon Town Council. Mary recently retired from an international career as an anthropologist working in public health systems for governments, universities, NGOs and United Nations agencies. Born and educated in Stratford, she came back to live here in 2023, and was an active citizen scientist with SafeAvon for several years.
James Chapman, UK Business Development Manager – Environmental Solutions @ Xylem Water Solutions UK Ltd
James is a Business Development Manager at Xylem, where he works with water companies, delivery partners, regulators, and wider stakeholders to support environmental monitoring and river water quality improvement programmes across the UK. Since joining Xylem in 2023, he has helped lead the company’s engagement with utilities responding to the Environment Act and has supported the deployment of large-scale water quality monitoring initiatives.
With more than 15 years’ experience across the environmental, industrial, and wastewater sectors, James has developed a career that combines technical knowledge, customer engagement, project leadership, and partnership working. He is passionate about making environmental data more accessible and helping organisations use technology to better understand and protect water environments.
Alongside his commercial role, James is an active advocate for knowledge sharing and industry collaboration. He regularly delivers presentations, workshops, and guest sessions for universities, early-career professionals, community groups, river trusts, charities, and water sector organisations. He is also involved in industry conferences, mentoring, outreach activities, and Xylem Watermark volunteering initiatives that promote environmental stewardship and encourage the next generation of water professionals.
James holds a BSc in Environmental Management and Physical Geography from the University of Worcester, where his dissertation explored the impact of sewage effluent on receiving watercourses. His career has been shaped by a long-standing passion for rivers, water quality, and helping people build meaningful careers that create positive environmental impact.
“From Outfall to Insight: High Resolution Mapping of Thames Water Quality” – Using a Surfbee uncrewed surface vehicle, the team collected high-resolution water quality data along a 3 km stretch of the River Thames downstream of Little Marlow STW, revealing how treated effluent mixes within the river and how tributaries and surrounding land use influence water quality downstream. This session at the River Summit and Festival showcases how innovative monitoring technology and citizen science can work together to deliver deeper, more dynamic insights into river health.
Caroline Roper, Rugby River Champions, University of Birmingham
Only 15% of England’s rivers are in good ecological condition. With regular river monitoring on the decline, gathering as much data as possible about the state of our rivers is an essential first step to better protecting them.
Caroline Roper MSc is the Project and Volunteer Engagement Officer for Rugby and Birmingham River Champions. Starting in 2024, Birmingham River Champions, a University of Birmingham lead project, works with local groups to monitor the vulnerable urban rivers of Birmingham. The project is now expanding to Rugby with the support of Rugby Borough Council. See information sheet below.
This citizen science project provides volunteers with the tools and knowledge they need to monitor Rugby’s vulnerable rivers. The River Champions ensure that these blue spaces are monitored, preventing issues and pressures on our rivers from going unnoticed.
Data from these monitoring activities can then be used by the Environment Agency to set monitoring “trigger points” (a value that, if ongoing monitoring meets, will trigger investigations from the EA for potential upstream pollution). This data can also be used to support ongoing conversations with stakeholders, leading to action that protects rivers long term.
Colin Maltby, River Insight and Improvement Manager, Severn Trent
Colin works within the River Protection team at Severn Trent. His role as River Insight and Improvement Manager sees him work across the Severn Trent business to design, support and report on river improvement activity. Colin can provide information or sign post on topics relating to Phosphorus reduction at Sewage Treatment Works; Investment plans; data or map enquiries, and general river health questions.
Freddie Wilson, Sports Data Scientist and SafeAvon volunteer
Freddie is a data scientist by trade and volunteers for numerous local testing organisations, including SafeAvon, to analyse and interpret the results of their work. He is a keen open water swimmer and paddleboarder.
“Understanding SAS Bacteria Data”: Presenting bacteria data collected in collaboration with Surfers Against Sewage, with case study of Royal Leamington Spa Canoe Club. See presentation below.
Presentation and Information Sheets