Revd Dr Hannah Malcolm is an Operation Noah trustee and a vicar in the Diocese of Newcastle. This month Hannah gave the keynote speech at the national Landscapes conference, looking at using church land for the good of climate and nature.

This reflection was BBC Radio 4’s ‘Thought for the Day’ on 29 April 2026 and Hannah has allowed us to reprint it here as part of our Living Water campaign. 

I’m a bit biased, but the River Wear might be my favourite river in Britain.

Winding through the city of Durham and connecting the Pennines to the sea, it has witnessed some of my happiest moments and easily absorbed any personal crises I might wish to throw at it. This week marks the completion of a major restoration project for the Wear; 1,700 saplings have been planted along its banks, in the hope that the new trees will safeguard both the health of the water and the creatures who live in and alongside it. 

The project is welcome news in an otherwise bleak picture for our rivers, many of which are in an active state of decline. This is not unique to Britain – around the world, rivers are not flourishing as they used to do. In his book Is A River Alive, Robert Macfarlane has proposed that this global decline in river health is not just a failure of legislation, but a failure of imagination. If we imagine a river as an isolated resource for our use and disposal, we will treat it that way. But if we imagine a river as a living being amongst other living beings, we will not only better protect and nurture our rivers. We will also better see the ways rivers protect and nurture us. 

Can we really think of a river as living? It certainly feels like a linguistic stretch. But it isn’t a new idea. Cultures all over the world treat rivers as having a life of their own, with a particular power to sustain and restore both human and nonhuman creatures. This includes my own tradition.

The Bible is rich with images of rivers as the source of blessing and renewal for the people.

For the first Christians, it was no coincidence that Jesus chose to be baptised in a river. This vital act of initiation belongs in water that moves and brings life. Early Church teaching encouraged Christ’s disciples to follow his example; where possible, their baptisms should likewise take place in running or living water.

And while baptisms have since moved indoors, there are still Christians around the world who gather by rivers to welcome new members into the Church. They understand something that we have, perhaps, forgotten; rivers can and do spiritually and physically bless us – if only we can let them live.

Add your voice to Operation Noah’s Living Waters campaign by: 

• Speaking up for clean water and ask your MP to back a strong Water Reform Bill. The Clean Water Now campaign calls on the government to set enforceable clean water targets for government, regulators and industry, with strict pollution limits for regions and catchments covering all polluting sectors. Operation Noah is one of more than 40 organisations backing the campaign – add your voice, and write to your MP today.
• Taking action in your church and community. Our Living Waters resources offer practical ways to put faith into action – from holding a Living Waters pilgrimage, river blessing, engaging in citizen science water monitoring, or supporting Rights for Rivers.

You can also:

• Hear our inspiring speakers – including poet Liz McWhirter and water specialist Andrew Jenkins – discuss Living Waters in our recent webinar
• Use and adapt our Living Waters presentation in your church,
• Explore our Living Water pilgrimage guide and prayers

The biblical vision is clear: where the river flows, everything will live. Our task is to help make that vision a reality.

Find out more and read our Campaign Director, Clare Fussell’s blog on the Living Water campaign here.