Rivers and Coastal Group

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Our vision and aims

The aim of the Rivers & Coastal Group (RCG) is to improve the understanding and sustainable management of rivers and coastal environments.

We will do this by:

  • Promoting and sharing knowledge and experience
  • Developing and supporting our members, especially early careers, through a range of events and activities
  • Highlighting issues and providing comment and input on policy
  • Providing expertise and input to the CIWEM Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Specialist Panel
  • Building connections through collaboration and inclusivity

Our work will support and enable the CIWEM vision of “A world in which professionalism and excellence build connections to inspire widespread, impactful water and environmental solutions”.

We will work in line with the values and principles of the CIWEM Strategy: People, Planet, Possibility.

If you are already a member of CIWEM, you can join RCG by logging into ‘My CIWEM’, clicking ‘Special Interest Groups’ and ticking ‘Rivers & Coastal’. This means you will receive our email updates.

You can follow our current discussions and activities by joining our group on LinkedIn.

You can email us at rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk.

Our committee

Non-officer committee members

Kirsty Tolson, Alex Humphreys, Bryony Smith, Sam James, Jennifer Bailey, Selena Peters, Lucy Crockford, Liliana Rose, James Trafford

Find out more about the current committee members here.

We renew the positions at our AGM in Autumn each year and we are always looking for new people to join – we are keen to improve our diversity and would love to see a wider range of applications.

Any vacancies on the Committee are circulated to River and Coastal Group members via email so keep an eye out if you are interested in joining.

You can also get involved without having to formally join the Committee, by organizing or hosting a local event or webinar for RCG members. Please get in touch at rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk.

Events and activities

Each year, we hold a series of webinars, site visits and our annual our annual Rivers and Coastal Group Study Trip. We also co-hosted a day of Flood and Coast 2023, which was a great experience and took a huge effort from everyone on the committee.

(Left above) RCG Thames Barrier Site Visit, 2023 Joint RCG

(Right above) East Midlands Branch and ICE East Midlands, Derby, 2023

Please suggest activities and events – we’d love to hear from you: rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk

Our annual Rivers and Coastal Group Study Trip brings together river and coastal professionals, both current and aspiring CIWEM members, for a mix of lectures, workshops, site visits and social activities. They are informative, educational and good fun is always had by all! In previous years we have run a mix of local and international visits, including Leeds, Durham, Lancaster and The Netherlands.

Our next Study Trip is in North Wales on 11 October 2023. Further details will be available on the CIWEM events calendar and shared with RCG members and social media.

If you have any suggestions for future study days, please get in touch at rcggroup@ciwem.org.uk.

In 2023, we co-hosted a day of the conference with The Rivers Trust. This focused on Nature-based solutions - scaling up ambition, evidence and delivery. We created a working group and collaborated with The Rivers Trust to find and book speakers, plan workshops and chair panels. We are keen to support early careers professionals especially and held drop-in sessions on chartership and the RCG as well as delivering a successful networking challenge breakfast session and a discussion on skills and apprenticeships.

Jack Lewin prize

Every year the RCG committee presents the Jack Lewin prize to someone who has made a significant contribution to the rivers and coastal sector. In the past it has been presented at the Rivers & Coastal Group Conference and this year, it was presented at the Flood & Coast Conference.

History of the Prize

Formerly known as the RCG Chairman’s prize, it was renamed in 2010 after Professor Jack (Jacob) Lewin. Lewin, born in 1922 in East Prussia as it was then, was a survivor of Kristallnacht in 1938, and came to Britain the following year on the Kindertransport aged 16. Lewin learnt English at night school and started out as an apprentice draughtsman. He became one of the world’s leading experts in the design of hydraulic gates, writing the definitive book ‘Hydraulic Gates and Valves’ in 1995.

Lewin was an enthusiastic supporter of CIWEM and the RCG and donated a section of original wooden elm water pipe from his days with the Metropolitan Water Board to the RCG. The water pipe became the trophy for the Chairman’s Prize.

Following Lewin’s death in January 2010, the RCG chose to rename the Chairman’s prize in his honour. The name plate on the Elm Pipe trophy is now full-up of previous winners so is on display at CIWEM HQ. A new trophy was manufactured, and with Jack in mind, was made from parts of one of the UK’s famous flood gates - the Thames Barrier.


Recent recipients of the Jack Lewin prize

Mott MacDonald nature-based solutions technical director Emma Wren MCIWEM C.WEM

"I really wanted to make a difference, not just through my career, but in my life - I want to leave a legacy of a world that's better than the one we have now."

Find out more about Wren's contribution to the sector here.

  • 2022-2023 – Emma Wren for her commitment to striving for better understanding and management of river environments, both in her work to promote sustainable approaches and bring partners together, and for living those values through her commitments to volunteering and grassroots work.
  • 2021-2022 – Bryan Curtis for their long history of contribution to Coastal Partnerships and coastal planning and issues, as well as contribution to the CIWEM Rivers and Coastal Group
  • 2019 – Multi-agency group coordinating the emergency response to the Toddbrook Reservoir (Whaley Bridge) dam spillway collapse
  • 2018 – Chris Broome for a lifetime contribution and member of CIWEM East Midlands Branch committee for more than 15 years

Related Groups and Networks

Governance

Since 1985, our members have been the leading practitioners in improving the quality and management of water and the environment. Learn more about our Trustee Board.

Find out more

Our Communities

We provide a forum for professional debate and the opportunity for members to meet and socialise. You can drive knowledge and best practice by getting involved with our special interest groups.

Find out more