Tewkesbury Abbey is holding a special High Mass and Procession culminating in the Blessing of the River Avon on Sunday, in a bold call for renewed environmental responsibility and action on water pollution.
The service, set to be attended by civic dignitaries, environmental groups and members of the public, shines a light on the urgent ecological crisis facing the River Avon – one of the most polluted rivers in the country.
The scale of the issue is highlighted in a recent Environment Agency report, which reveals that in 2024 alone, over 8,496 hours of sewage spills were recorded from into local Avon tributaries were recorded from just seven sewage treatment plants around Tewkesbury – equivalent to 354 continuous days of pollution.
Local campaigners, including the SafeAvon Project run by Tewkesbury Friends of the Earth are also raising concerns about pollution levels.
It is also part of the Abbey’s commitment to community engagement, and its journey towards an Eco Church Silver Award.
Tewkesbury Abbey is inviting people of all faiths and none to come together for our environment. It aims to raise awareness of the degradation of the UK’s rivers due to untreated sewage and nutrient pollution, and to encourage stronger action from both regulators and polluters.
The events will begin at 10.30am with a High Mass inside Tewkesbury Abbey. At 11.30am, a full outdoor procession will move through the town and down to the banks of the River Avon, accompanied by the Tewkesbury Abbey choir. The river blessing will include readings, hymns, and prayers.
The Revd Canon Nick Davies, Vicar of Tewkesbury Abbey, said:
“We believe that caring for creation is a sacred duty. The Blessing of the Avon is both a prayer and a protest—an act of hope in the face of despair, and a call to stewardship in the face of negligence.”
Local volunteers from SafeAvon have logged over 2,400 data sets showing persistently high levels of nitrate and phosphate pollution. With over 90 community scientists active along 40 sites between Stratford-upon-Avon and Tewkesbury, public concern is growing.
Geoff Sallis from SafeAvon said: “We’re devastated by the scale of sewage pollution. Events like this show communities coming together to say: enough is enough.”
The Mass begins at 10.30am on Sunday 22 June at Tewkesbury Abbey, Church Street, Tewkesbury, GL20 5RZ. If you would like to attend the Procession and Riverside Blessing alone, please meet at the North Porch of Tewkesbury Abbey at around 11.30am to walk as one group to the River Avon riverside.
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