Severalchurchesand even the River Wye amid growing public outrage over mismanagement andpollution of Britain's waterways and beachesEven the cathedral on the banks of the city has played a leading role in protests calling for action.
Called the 'River Pilgrimage', the protest saw a carved wooden statue of the Virgin Mary float down the River Wye, the fourth longest river in the United Kingdom from the Hay-on-Wye River. I've seen it cascade down seventy-five miles (75 miles).to Monmouth.
The bells of the church rang and the choir sang while the Virgin of the Water and River Wye passed by in her two canoes.
In the 900-year-old church, monks sang Gregorian chants in support of the protest movement, picnics, prayers, cakes and feasts, all as part of his week-long activities. It exposed people's plight. river.
Sewage, waste from poultry farms, agricultural runoff and the current drought combine to wreak havoc on the river,with record levels of salmon mortality seen last week21}
Father Richard Williams of St. Mary's Church, Hay-on-Wye, came up with a protest plan with statue sculptor Philip Chatfield.
"I had a natural, instinctual desire to do something," Father Williams told The Independent
very much. Celebrate the value of something that looks and is much loved.
"There's been a very nice response. A very sweet response to the whole thing. I was really touched by all of it," he said.
When asked why so many church members were involved in the protests, he said: We shouldn't waste beautiful things for us.
Our Lady of Water and Wai. The image of the Virgin Mary was partly chosen for the protest, in 1880 from Hay-on-Wye she was eight miles upriver at Capel Y Finn where she said the Virgin Mary appeared to two boys. because it is A statue will be installed here after the protest
(Michael Woodward)
On Tuesday, the protest will be held in Hereford The cathedral, where the statues were processed through the cloisters, before the even services attended by the protesters.
Reverend Neil Patterson, acting pastor of the Bishop of Hereford and secretary of the River Wye Conservation Trust, told The Independent: Rivers are very healthy.
"The River Wye in particular has always been known as a river of great natural beauty and, historically, of very pristine natural beauty, but sadly this is no longer the case."
''Dear Christians, we have a special duty to care for the good world that God has given us. In other words, treat it as a gift to care for, rather than a possession to be used solely for our own benefit.
He added: It's all the farmers' fault' or 'It's all the water companies' fault', it's actually a very complex issue. In a way, this is the essence of all our environmental protection issues. Our habits, the foods we buy, and the way we travel all have an impact and must all work together to effect change.
Rachel Jenkins, a local campaigner who organized the protest agenda, told The Independent that river conditions would lead to a "shocking collapse of biodiversity."
"There are some problems with the River Wye," she said, citing the sewage drained by the water company and the slurry and fertilizer that flows into the river from farms. Said. It actually only costs 300.
She said the current drought and recent heat wave meant "everything is more concentrated."
"The water gets hot and lacks oxygen. An excess of phosphate causes algae to suffocate insects and fish. And the fish have to eat the insects."
Statue approaches Ross of Wye on Thursday
(Louise Russell)
Joe Chamberlain, Church of England's National Environment Officer, The Independent told that the climate crisis is worseningto "protect the integrity of creation".
She said: ``What we do is the result of our faith and that we are disciples. For it is part of our call, which we believe is called upon to protect the integrity of creation and to strive to sustain and renew life on Earth.
“If we cannot clean the river ourselves, we need to call in others who can. We also believe that we are being called upon to challenge the unjust structures of society. The unequal impacts of climate change will hit the poorest, who contribute the least to CO2 emissions first, and the poorest first, which is highly unfair in today's world."
Thursday , the government said it had "already taken action" to deal with sewage flowing into rivers, and that it "expects water companies to significantly reduce sewage discharge from storm flooding". .
But campaigners are calling for more concrete action,and the water company accuses it of being "only capable of dealing with 16 degrees of drizzle".
}Hugo Tagholm, Head of Surfers Against Sewage, said : Protect people and the planet.
"Our rivers and beaches should not be subjected to this type of industrial environmental vandalism."
