Rivers and Coastal Group

Become a member

Our vision and aims

The aim of the Rivers & Coastal Group (RCG) is to improve 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

Here is our committee for 2024/25. 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.

Non-officer committee members

  • Kirsty Tolson
  • Alex Humphreys
  • Bryony Smith
  • Elinor Kinrade
  • Victoria Gaskell-Howdle
  • Selena Peters
  • Lucy Crockford
  • Jason Lovering
  • Chris Green
  • John Easton
  • John Hornig

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 Day and for the last two years, we have co-hosted Day 2 of Flood & Coast Conference with the Rivers Trust.

(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

The Rivers and Coastal Group Study Trips bring 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 Day is in Bristol in mid-October 2024. It will focus on the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Scheme which includes both coastal and fluvial aspects. The day will comprise of technical talks in the morning and a site visit in the afternoon. Further details will be available on the CIWEM events calendar and shared with RCG members and on social media.

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

For the last two years, we have co-hosted a day of the conference with The Rivers Trust. This is usually focused on Nature-based solutions. We have a collaborative working group with The Rivers Trust to find and book speakers, plan workshops and chair panels. We are always open to feedback and suggestions, and if you want to get more involved, why not join the RCG committee.

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

Director of Wetland Conservation Clare Dinnis 

2023-2024 – Clare Dinnis for her instrumental role in enabling a collaborative approach across government and partners to develop the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy (for England) published in 2020, and for forming the Women in FCERM initiative in 2018, which supports women and men in striving for gender diversity across the wider flood and coastal erosion sector.

  • 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.

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