This year, we’re embracing a #BlueChristmas. The festive season doesn’t quite feel the same without all our loved ones by our sides. We don’t want to pretend everything is normal—how could we, after the year we have all shared? That’s why we’re celebrating Christmas while embracing the blues emotionally and physically. We’re letting ourselves feel all the emotions of the past year, and escaping into our treasured blue spaces for respite from the chaos. It's more important than ever that we all take time to decompress. A walk by the river is the perfect place to do this; blue spaces are good for the soul. We want to encourage you all to take time to reflect by the river over the festive period. If you feel comfortable sharing your experience, use the hashtag #RiverReflections on social media. While you may feel isolated, you are never alone—and we hope that sharing our personal experiences through the hashtag will demonstrate this. If you feel as if spending time by the river has helped you to get through this year, you might want to support our work. If so, keep reading to find out how.

Supporting healthy rivers this Christmas

Send your loved ones a card: We want clean, healthy rivers to be accessible to everyone who needs them - and you can help us achieve that. You can send our Christmas cards physically, virtually, or have a pack of cards delivered to your address for you to handwrite and send yourself. What's more, you can attach a donation - as big or small as you like - as a way of gifting your loved ones a future filled with wild rivers. Thank you to Emperor for these beautiful designs.

Buy or gift a Christmas jumper: We've added a selection of Christmas jumpers to our Teemill store. Buying a new Christmas jumper each year can put a real strain on our environment—so why not buy one which is built to last? The sweaters are made using certified organic cotton in a factory powered by renewable energy, and printed using low waste technology.

Make a donation: Committing to a monthly donation can be a great way to enter the New Year feeling like you've done your bit for nature. Alternatively, you can make a one-off donation as a present to rivers across the UK and Ireland.