Thames21’s Annual Volunteer Celebration

Over the weekend, Thames21 brought together trustees, staff and volunteers at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith for our annual Volunteer Celebration – an afternoon of stories, chat, films and awards.

We watched two wonderful films celebrating the work happening across London’s rivers. A short EMPOWER Rivers film showed how grants are supporting local groups to take action for their rivers and communities. We were also thrilled to screen an edited version of London’s Last Wilderness, a beautifully shot allegory to the Thames Estuary directed by Pablo Behrens.

The celebration is also a chance to remember Celia Hensman, one of the founders of Thames21, whose passion and dedication to London’s rivers helped set us on the path to becoming one of London’s leading river charities.

And what better way to honour that legacy than by celebrating all the people who give their time to their local rivers? More than 10,000 people volunteered with Thames21 last year, cleaning up London’s waterways, restoring rivers, collecting vital data on river health, and bringing friends and neighbours down to discover and care for their local river.

The 2026 award winners are:
• Citizen Scientist of the Year: Dianne Murphy
• River Action Group of the Year: Stonebridge Lock Coalition
• Star Volunteer: Katherine Vossen; Jane O’Sullivan and the students of George Green School
• Celia Hensman River Leader of the Year: Sarah Witney

A huge thank you to all the volunteers we work with. Your time, passion, curiosity and energy are helping London’s rivers thrive, and inspiring others to get involved along the way.

And a big thank you to everyone who helped make the celebration such a memorable afternoon.