Meet our team of fantastic Rivers Trust Ambassadors
Our Rivers Trust Ambassadors are people who are just as passionate about rivers as we are. They use their voices to speak up for our shared dream of wild, healthy, natural freshwater habitats.
We are delighted to be working with a range of brilliant individuals who are passionate about working to restore rivers to a healthy, natural and wild state for wildlife and communities. Scroll down to learn more about the River Ambassadors that have joined The Rivers Trust team.
Dr Amir Khan
Dr Amir Khan is an NHS GP, best-selling author and broadcaster (you may recognize him from his time on Good Morning Britain and Lorraine). He's also passionate about wildlife, and believes in the power of restoring nature and being able to access thriving natural spaces for our mental and physical wellbeing.
"I'm super excited that I'm going to be an ambassador for the Rivers Trust. They do incredible work, trying to keep our rivers health and the ecosystems within and around them alive and thriving, and we all know what a challenging time for Rivers it is right now. With 0% of England's and Northern Ireland's rivers being considered in good health, they are fighting the good fight, and I am proud to join them. I'm a firm believer that accessing thriving nature spaces, including our rivers, is key to our good mental and physical well being, and our rivers are vital to that. So, I couldn't be more excited to be joining the Rivers Trust as their newest ambassador."
Prof Alice Roberts
Alice is fascinated by human biology and history - and although these are often considered to be separate subjects, they are intertwined and inseparable. She originally trained as a doctor, but left surgery behind to become a university academic - teaching clinical anatomy to students and doctors, and researching human origins and disease in ancient bones. She has presented more than a hundred television documentaries, ranging across human biology, history and archaeology, including a series called Wild Swimming with Alice Roberts, which follows in the wake of Waterlog, by author Roger Deakin.
“I love wild swimming but I’m doing it less and less - the risk of getting ill is simply too high. And that pollution is bad news for wildlife too. Rivers are such an important part of the natural environment, and we clearly need to do more to reduce the negative impact we’re having on so many other species. That’s why I support the Rivers Trust - who do great work cleaning rivers, restoring wetlands and planting trees on riverbanks, as well as collecting important data on water quality and wildlife, and raising awareness of the need for healthy, natural rivers. Our rivers need us!"
Imogen Grant
Imogen is an athlete passionate about sustainability, especially when it comes to the water she rows on. She is a current double World and European Champion rower in the lightweight double for Great Britain, a Toyko Olympian, and is preparing for the Paris Olympics. She recently graduated as a doctor from the University of Cambridge, where she learned to row.
"Water is integral to what I do every single day, whether it's a river to walk along and admire or somewhere to train and race. I have seen first hand the impacts of polluted water - rowing past floating fridges worrying they would put holes in my boat, and spending days sick with a stomach bug I picked up during a Tideway head. Conversely, the magic of sculling next to a seal is not one I will forget any time soon! I support The Rivers Trust to help conserve those magical moments for future generations, cleaning rivers and monitoring wildlife"
Jack Perks
Jack Perks is a professional wildlife cameraman obsessed with freshwater and its inhabitants, and a keen angler. Over the past 10 years he's worked all across the United Kingdom filming every species of freshwater fish, writing multiple books and magazine articles and filming for a range of TV programmes like Wild Isles, Springwatch and Countryfile to name a few.
"I’ve worked on and off with The Rivers Trust for many years and the work they do to improve river restoration, remove barriers to migration and add buffer zones along the riverbanks are all things I support and wish more rivers would have. Rivers are in a perilous state currently and in need of some real drastic changes if we are see to a positive change. Fish are so often forgotten and ignored in the greater landscape of natural history so something I’m working on with The Rivers Trust is to showcase what is lurking beneath our waters."
Scout
Our newest ambassador is also our first virtual one. Scout is a children's book character who is passionate about the environment helps school-age kids to learn about the natural world, as well as how they can help improve or conserve it.
"I’m super excited to be a Rivers Trust Ambassador to help promote protecting our waterways. I really enjoy litter picking and I hope to inspire other children to learn more about our rivers and maybe they’d like to help me look after them. Since I found out that if litter goes down a drain it can end up in our rivers and then out to the sea, it made me realise I could actually help reduce this impact. So I decided to pick up litter when I go on walks with my parents and I am learning so much about rivers and all of the wildlife they provide a habitat for."