Healthy Rivers and Seas Summit to Be Streamed Online on 27th February

Residents across Cornwall are being invited to join an online summit later this month to learn how organisations are working to tackle pollution and improve water quality in the county’s rivers and beaches.

The Healthy Rivers and Seas Summit will take place at Lys Kernow in Truro on Friday 27th February, running from 10am to 11.30am, and will be broadcast live online.

Why the summit is happening

In September 2025, Cornwall Council passed a motion titled Working to End the Sewage Scandal, calling for urgent action to address sewage pollution affecting rivers and beaches across the region. The motion commits the council to working with South West Water and other organisations, including through a summit, to respond to repeated pollution incidents.

The event will explain how different bodies are tackling pollution while recognising that water quality is a complex issue involving land management, development, sewage discharges and urban runoff.

Who is involved

The summit will be opened by Cornwall Council leader Cllr Leigh Frost and chaired by Julie Skentelbery from BBC Radio Cornwall, who will host the live discussion and take questions from viewers.

The panel includes representatives from across the water and environmental sector, including:

• Cllr Loic Rich, cabinet member for environment and cabinet change at Cornwall Council

• Carolyn Cadman, chief sustainability and natural resources officer at South West Water

• Mark Rice, area director for Devon and Cornwall at the Environment Agency

• Ashley Jones, county chair of NFU Cornwall

• Victoria Vyvyan, deputy president of the Country Land and Business Association

• Dr Claire Eatock, chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Marine and Coastal Partnership

• Giles Bristow, chief executive of Surfers Against Sewage

• Laurence Couldrick, chief executive of Westcountry Rivers Trust

• Matt Walpole, chief executive of Cornwall Wildlife Trust

Panellists will discuss current challenges and trends affecting water quality and outline how organisations are working together to identify and deliver solutions.

What council leaders have said

Cllr Leigh Frost said:

“The health of our ocean and rivers is a complex issue that requires collective action and personal responsibility. Cornwall Council can have a far bigger impact beyond the reactive legal powers we have acting as a convener, bringing together all the agencies and organisations involved in understanding the problems and identifying and putting solutions into action. We can also ensure residents’ concerns are heard.

“I want to thank all our panellists for agreeing to take part in this summit.”

Cllr Loic Rich added:

“Healthy rivers and seas are vital to everyone living in Cornwall and crucial for nature, our environment and our economy.

“This summit will set out the council’s role and that of other organisations in delivering one of our key priorities and I hope residents can take this opportunity to find out more and ask our panel questions by joining the session online.”

How to watch and take part

Anyone can follow the discussion live and submit questions during the session via Facebook, X or YouTube.

• Watch on Facebook: Join the summit on Facebook

• Watch on YouTube: Watch live on YouTube

The summit is intended to be the start of an ongoing conversation between organisations and stakeholders, with the aim of leading to collective and tangible actions to improve the health of Cornwall’s rivers and seas.