Friends of the Thames

Friends of the Thames (FoTT) is a new grassroots charity tackling the urgent crisis of pollution and biodiversity loss across the River Thames catchment – from its source to the sea. Despite many brilliant local efforts, the absence of a joined-up, collaborative approach has hindered real progress. Freshwater species are disappearing at an alarming rate, and communities have become disconnected from the river’s health and future.

FoTT addresses this by uniting citizen scientists, swimmers, schools, artists, and campaigners into one powerful network. Their flagship initiative, the River Guardian Scheme, empowers individuals and groups to “adopt” a section of river. These volunteers map and monitor local conditions – tracking pollution, barriers, biodiversity, invasive species, and farming practices – while being supported with training and resources to become local champions for the river.

Although only established in early 2025, FoTT is growing rapidly, with over 1,000 individuals and 30 organisations already engaged. Seed-funded by River Action UK, they are building the most comprehensive public record of water quality on the Thames through tools like an interactive pollution map and community-led water testing. This evidence is designed to hold polluters to account and push for policy change.

In the long term, FoTT has a bold and visionary goal: to see the River Thames granted legal personhood. This would give the river rights in law – recognising her as a living entity worthy of protection. Legal personhood has been used successfully in other countries to empower communities to defend nature in court and ensure its long-term wellbeing.

Funding from The John Good Group will help FoTT continue building its volunteer network, expand its monitoring and mapping tools, and progress towards a more just, protected, and thriving River Thames for future generations.