One River, Many Voices unites the Wye Valley border

The air at Redbrook Millennium Green was alive with anticipation as local residents, environmental guardians, and visitors gathered under a canopy of intense midsummer warmth. Beneath the towering shadow of the historic Penallt viaduct—a silent witness to the area's industrial past—the morning's bustling school fete seamlessly melted into an afternoon dedicated to ecological rebirth and exploration of the local heritage exhibition of photographs in the Riverside Refreshment Marquee.

The atmosphere grew thick with anticipation as the Goddess of the Wye entered the riverside Millennium alongside Lady Wye and their entourage including Abundantia, the Roman Goddess of Abundance. The air filled with the scent of lavender as The Kingfishers Chorus , a Redbrook based local choir were welcomed with hand-tied lavender posies to offer to the waters.The Kingfishers Chorus then stepped into the Riverside shade, their live voices rising in harmony to draw the spellbound crowd together before the formal proceedings on the stage.

On stage, talented Herefordshire -based storyteller Christine Watkins, cast a narrative spell over the green with a powerful ten-minute nature-based myth about the journey to the Eye of the Wye. Following this, the leadership of Newland Parish Council—Chair David Wheeler and Vice-Chair June Davies—stepped forward to root the day’s mythology and folklore into a historic declaration of modern stewardship.

Chair of Newland Parish Council and local Forest of Dean District Councillor, David Wheeler declared: As we stand here on the border in view of the bridge between England and Wales we will declare the Charter in the two native languages of the two countries of England and Wales, here, where the river flows and knows no borders. Today we welcome and stand under the watchful eye of the Goddess of the Wye as we declare our support of the Charter and our pledge to the river and all present."

In a stirring address delivered in alternating lines of English and Welsh, the council spoke not of bureaucratic regulations, but of a sacred duty. Cllr. June Davies, Vice -Chair of Newland Parish Council and Chair of the Consortium of Wye Valley Councils described the ceremony as “An intention setting moment of our time” and further declared:

"The Charter is the declaration of a blood bond with the River. A recognition of dependency, a respect, a reverence and a responsibility that has been buried deep underground for centuries and is finally being daylighted."

We commit to working collaboratively across borders, taking active stewardship to restore its waters, protect its biodiversity and safeguard this irreplaceable lifeline for the generations to come.

With the crowd standing in respectful silence, the "Rights of the River Wye" (Hawliau yr Afon Gwy) were publicly declared, echoing the words of global river communities from Colombia to New Zealand. The lines of the Rights of the Wye resonated across the border waters in as David Wheeler declared: “We recognise the Wye as a living breathing system that binds our communities together."

The climate of commitment was made permanent as the official Council Pledge was read, signed, and safely sealed within the Charter Pledge Book brought to the event by Herefordshire County Councillor,Elissa Swinglehurst who played a leading role in the public declaration of rights of the Wye at its launch on May 24th at Hay on Wye. The Charter has been endorsed by Herefordshire County Council, Forest of Dean District Council, Monmouthshire County Council who were represented at the event by Cllr. Catrin Maby , Monmouthshire and Cllr. Andrew Mc Dermid, Forest of Dean District Council.The Wye Valley National Landscapes Organisation has also pledged its support for the Charter.

In a deeply symbolic gesture aimed at spreading this legal and environmental framework across the entire catchment, small glass vials of river catchment water from Redbrook were presented to visiting grassroots community groups and council representatives, including Cllr. Chris Mc Farling, local Gloucestershire County Council , sparking a ripple effect of promised guardianship and a request from June Davies, event organiser to seek further momentum and expansion of the voices needed to accelerate change . The stage segment closed beautifully with the reading of local poet and author,Marion Fellows' evocative poem, "Birth of a River." by Lady Wye.

Leaving the stage behind, the heartbeat of the event moved directly to the shaded, dappled banks of the river itself. Here, under the watchful gaze of the Goddess, Abundantia invoked the four elements and spun the legendary tale of the Three Sisters of Plynlimon, tracing the Wye's winding journey to the sea.

The crowd formed a circle of reflection along the water's edge One by one members of the public, visiting river guardians stepped into the center to lay down their promises and read poems. For every pledge card dropped into the basket, a single, clear bell rang out across the riverbank. Lady Wye ( Vey Straker) and Abundantia ( local parish councillor , Tamzin Powell) carried a vial of sacred river water from upstream to the Penallt Viaduct for a ceremonial offering of to the flowing Wye whilst the Choir leader, Jenn Singleton led the public in on the green in a song dedicated to nature, “Oh let her be”

The formal ceremony culminated in a powerful moment of community unity, as the choir led the entire gathering in an echoing call-and-response song that rolled across the valley under the watchful eye of the Goddess of the Wye.

As the scorching heat of the afternoon began to fade over the valley, the solemnity of the afternoon transitioned into a vibrant celebration of local culture with the "Spirit of the Wye '26" music sessions. The bar and green activities flowed steadily into the evening as the community shared conversations and water testing demonstrations from Friends of the Wye with many local community members signing up to the viewing of “The People’s Emergency which will be shown on Tuesday 14th July at Redbrook Village Hall to build the momentum towards local conversations on local responses to the climate and nature emergency .

The valley was filled with music late into the evening, transitioning from the raw, acoustic original melodies of Tom Price-Stephens to the captivating sounds of Sian Marie and Mansel. Finally, the local favorites, The Godseys, took the stage, delivering an energetic, triumphant performance that perfectly capped off a day defined by hope, creativity, and radical environmental love.