Giving our rivers the voice they desperately need
Read our recent article in Cotswold Life magazine
Our rivers are crying out for help. River Girl – the work and persona of campaigner Debbie Campbell – brings their stories to life, inspiring children, families and communities to protect the waterways they love.
Who Is River Girl?
Debbie Campbell is a river activist, mother of two, outdoor enthusiast, and lifelong lover of wild water. From surf breaks to chalk streams, she has spent years championing cleaner, safer rivers across the UK.
She brings a mix of lived experience, community work, and playful honesty to her mission: making river protection accessible for children and engaging for all ages.
What is RiverGirl?
River Girl is Debbie’s mission to translate complex environmental issues into something children can understand, get excited about, and act on.
Think of it as Newsround – for rivers.
While scientists, activists and charitie take on government bodies, water companies, highways authorities and farms, River Girl focuses on helping children make sense of it all.
Debbie’s Story
A life shaped by water, nature, and speaking up.
Early 20s – Cornwall
- Lived by the coast and volunteered with Surfers Against Sewage
- Featured in Surf Girl magazine; used modelling and media work to highlight pollution issues
- Won the Boardmasters Beach Babe competition and used the platform to speak out on sewage in rivers and seas
Bristol → London
- Continued her modelling and acting career
- Qualified as a yoga teacher
- Started a family and found pockets of wild water even in city life – including cold dips in the Serpentine
Move to the Cotswolds
- Fell in love with river-rich landscapes
- Became a regular river swimmer during Covid
- After falling ill following a dip in the River Windrush, discovered alarming levels of pollution: phosphate, ammonia and nitrates – untreated sewage by another name
Becoming an Activist
- Raised concerns with local MP Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown
- Introduced to Ashley Smith, founder of Windrush Against Sewage Pollution (WASP)
- Volunteered with WASP and later secured a role with the Cotswolds Rivers Trust:
Project, Community Engagement and Education Officer for the River Windrush
Inspiring the Next Generation
Debbie’s favourite part of the role was working with schools:
- Talks on the water cycle
- What happens when you flush the loo
- How pollution affects wildlife
- What healthy rivers should look like
- Crucially: how children can help bring rivers back to life
She speaks up for the rivers who cannot speak for themselves:
- Sewage spills
- Agricultural waste
- Road run-off
- Mismanagement and missed opportunities
- The systems that should protect our waterways but often fail to
Through her podcast, school visits and outdoor learning, River Girl helps raise awareness and build pester power – encouraging young people to demand better from adults, leaders and polluters.
How You Can Support River Girl
Check out the ways you can help to support the cause below.