Why this woman got married to a river

By Lauren Beavis

A woman married a RIVER in a bid to protect it from pollution - and says it's wedded bliss.

Mrs. Meg Avon, 28, was blessed in holy matrimony with the River Avon in the South West of England.

The Bristol-born wellbeing facilitator, activist and writer explains how she and her “darling” still keep their romance alive as they celebrate their second anniversary.

She married the River Avon in a "joyful" ceremony to protect it and raise awareness of water pollution on June 17, 2023.

Meg - née Trump - says she and the river have never been happier.

She said: “We’re still in the honeymoon period and I’m still pretty obsessed with the river.

“I wake up thinking about the river, my life’s quite shaped by the river, I’m always thinking about when I can next spend time with the river.

“I’m spending a lot of time with other rivers, but I think that’s OK. They are all one.

“But it’s a pretty fluid and open relationship.

“We all have a relationship to water, but for me, it’s a wifely sense - I think we’ve got a pretty strong connection and commitment to each other."

The wedding ceremony was not just a bonding ritual between Meg and the river - but also a “non-oppositional and joyful act of protest”.

Meg, who has been involved in activism throughout her life, explained: “There are lots of different campaign groups up and down the river - and we wanted an excuse to have all of the groups join together to celebrate a ‘party'.

“Because campaigning and activism can be very sad, disheartening and draining.

“There is a lot of powerlessness with any kind of activism – so we wanted to do something that felt joyful and what is more of a celebration than a ceremony like a wedding!

“I’d never been to a wedding before, but it ticked all the boxes of union and love and joy.”

The day began with a ceremony where Ruth Sidgwick, a celebrant and old friend of Meg’s, hosted the wedding between herself and the River Avon.

Meg said: “During the vows, we all came together and said 'we do'.

"We thought the ceremony was going to be a bit fun and silly - get some nice pictures and have a nice celebration.

“But everyone was weeping and sobbing - even the celebrant and she does mostly funerals!

“But it’s because we all know, deep down, that this river is dying.”

The campaign groups (Conham bathers, Keep eels reel, We are Avon, Save the wye and Save the ex) as well as Meg's loved ones, had multiple events running throughout the special day: from foraging to celebrations hosted by musicians, artists, printmakers and storytellers.

The young activist said her life has “completely changed” after making the vows with the river.

The ceremony was filmed and is now documented in the film ‘Rave on for the Avon’ - which is being screened across the country with the campaign that is calling for action to protect the UK’s waterways from pollution.

Meg describes her relationship with the river (whom she also calls her “muse”, “darling” and “babe”) as physically binding and deeply spiritual.

She confessed: “I have always loved swimming and it’s been a big part of my life.

“But water has become my version of religion in a way. The way it renews me is powerful.

“I honor it and love it deeply. We’ve known each other for a long time and it goes more than surface level for sure.

“When you think of how much of our body makeup is water, and how much of the world is water, I feel like the river speaks through me.

“Humans are just a way water gets around: we came out of the water we’re probably going to go back into the water at some point.

“The world is just one blue dot.”

During their one-year anniversary, when Meg attempted to travel along the River Avon for nearly a whole week, she unfortunately broke her leg.

But Meg said the traumatic experience had given her the time to focus on her creativity and love for poetry.

She is now writing articles, a book, reading her poetry out to audiences, and has released a book of poems called ‘My Avon'.

Meg said: “I call the river my muse –it gives me life, gives me energy, keeps me afloat and tells me not to rush too much.”

Through their unorthodox union, Meg hopes to highlight her personal campaign, which focuses on personhood status that is linked with the Rights for Nature movement.

She explained: “It’s about getting human advocates and representatives that will be hired as spokespeople for waterways, nature reserves, forests, meadows - and be a voice for nature.

“I like to think of myself as some form of representative.

“By marrying the river, I hope to help people recognize that there are loads of people who have strong relationships to rivers and it’s a shame that rivers are inaccessible to many people.”

The campaign group Meg is also a part of, Conham Bathers, set out to initially obtain designated bathing water status in the river Avon - which they have been unable to acquire due to it's poor water quality.

But they now hope to take a step beyond this and highlight the public’s lack of access to the country’s waterways.

Meg said: “A huge problem is physical access and I think the law needs to change.

“Ninety-seven percent of rivers are inaccessible to the public because they flow through private land.”

The campaign group also aim to hold water companies accountable by renationalizing waterways and mobilizing communities from around the country to raise awareness and take action for nature.

Meg ventures to her favorite spot along the river, in Conham, once a week and tries to join local swimmers after they have finished every Friday.

She added: “I’m trying to work on spending more one-on-one time with the river because that’s what it’s always been for me – that is when you get those really deep museful moments.

“But I also love spending time with the river in company and community, and the chats you have when you’re all freezing cold and giggling, getting out of the water.

“It’s nice to come here for work and pleasure, but still try and remain a bit boundaries.

“I want it to be sustainable, this relationship. I know I’m going to have a relationship to water for the rest of my life.

“But we’re all part of it: we’re all on that same blue dot.”

You can follow Meg's journey on: @mrs_meg_avon

To view a screening of Rave on For the Avon, visit here.