As part of ‘The gathering: for water and Nature’ final day of celebration, performance poet Meg will share the story of her marriage to the Avon, her journey towards recognised rights across the bioregion for her river through her work for We Are Avon and share some poems from her collection ‘My Avon‘. Often compared to Ophelia from the images of her floating in her wedding dress, Meg will explore similar themes of sacrifice, ceremony and what it is to be ‘mad’ within the current climate.

As well as being a poet, Meg Avon is a campaigner and river rights researcher with the University of the West of England for the Bristol Urban Avon. She coordinates the events and grassroots guardianship groups for the charity We Are Avon, influencing the Rights of Nature movement across the whole river catchment. Meg was featured in the documentary film ‘Rave on For the Avon‘ in 2025. She famously married her river as a symbolic act of love and protest, raising awareness of water pollution. She hopes that one day her marriage to her river can be both legally binding as well as symbolic!

Meg’s performance will lead us perfectly into the finale at 16:45pm of The Gathering programme, the birth of Ondine ‘spirit of the river’ surrounded by her entourage of river beings and serenaded by music and song.