By Areeb Usama
The River Rising pilgrimage was a beautiful experience. The day before, I made a placard featuring little river creatures in the four corners to advocate for the rights of our River Itchen. The main slogan read, "Our river, our voice, hear us." In the corners, the creatures spoke up: a salmon said, "The river has rights"; a water vole said, "The river keeps us alive"; a beaver on the other side said, "The river is a being"; and the damselflies said, "Keep the river pollution-free," as they too are losing their habitats in this rare chalk stream.
The entire pilgrimage turned out to be a great experience, complete with a majestic Ancasta goddess puppet, inspiring speeches from environmentalists, and the chance to see a portion of the river area that we never get to see on our weekly water testing route.