To raise awareness of the plight of salmon and raise funds for the vital work of The Rivers Trust, the organisation’s CEO, Mark Lloyd, is taking part in the Salmon Run this September – a 43-mile ultramarathon challenge along the River Exe, following the species’ migration route upstream – and will be joined by Olympian and Team GB rower Graeme Thomas.
The run follows the course of the River Exe, starting at the sea in Exmouth to the spawning grounds on Exmoor, mirroring the upstream migration made by Atlantic Salmon. The route ends in Dulverton, where a party of supporters will greet the pair. Fewer and fewer salmon return or thrive in our waterways as they become too warm, too polluted, and too fragmented by barriers.
Mark and Graeme are aiming to raise thousands of pounds for The Rivers Trust, a UK and Ireland-wide charity working to restore and stand up for rivers alongside its movement of local trusts. Every donation goes towards its goal of achieving wild, healthy, and natural rivers – something that salmon are in desperate need of.
You can donate to Mark’s appeal here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/mark-lloyd-salmon-run and Graeme’s here: https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/graeme-thomas-salmon-run
Graeme said: “For well over a decade, I have trained and competed on waters around the UK. It has been an absolute privilege to spend so much of my time interacting with our most precious resource, witnessing all kinds of wildlife against the backdrop of wild and urban landscapes, from the kingfisher forging a living in Manchester city centre to the otters of the River Lune. I am now looking to turn from sculler to steward and promote the protection of our wild spaces.
“Due to injury, I have recently been forced to take a step back from my usual training and competition schedule. After a short period of downtime, I am ready for a challenge to work towards. The Salmon Run is the perfect opportunity to give me a personal goal and raise awareness of an important cause. The same reasons for decline in migratory salmon apply to a whole range of other river-centred animals, and with that thought in mind I am choosing to raise money for The Rivers Trust.
“The Rivers Trust is an incredible organisation, delivering real action to our wild spaces. I have witnessed first-hand the positive impact they are having on our home waters. The Salmon Run is an opportunity to spotlight the existing positive impact they are having and raise funding for the exciting future projects.”
The Rivers Trust is proud to be part of The Missing Salmon Alliance, a group of conservation-focused organisations that have come together to drive action and save wild Atlantic salmon from extinction by combining expertise, coordinating activities, and advocating effective management solutions.
The run coincides with the trust’s Big River Watch: https://theriverstrust.org/take-action/the-big-river-watch, its nationwide citizen science survey taking place on the same weekend.
