Share your memories of the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk at the Hay Festival 2025 

A space at the festival will have a theme of ‘river memories’ and will feature a young silver birch tree, which is a native tree to the Wye that acts as a barrier to absorb nutrient pollution, and symbolises hope and restoration.

People will be invited to write down their experiences of the rivers on tags and hang them on the tree’s branches. 

The memories space will be at a stand hosted by law firm Leigh Day, which is leading a legal claim to tackle pollution in the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk. It will provide the opportunity for visitors to share their recollections and read about the positive experiences of others who have enjoyed happy memories of the rivers. 

A video inviting others to join the legal claim gives voice to claimants who recollect and share their memories of times when the River Wye was an unpolluted waterway. 

There will also be an interactive quiz to test people’s knowledge of the rivers, and storyboards spotlighting the memories and experiences of clients and explaining more about the legal claim. 

The legal claim now involves more than 3,000 residents of the Wye catchment area who have joined the claim to call for the restoration of the Wye, Lugg and Usk. 

The claimants say they have been impacted by the deterioration of the rivers, where many have experienced cherished moments with their families and loved ones.  

The stand will be located on the exhibitor run, near the main festival bar at stall 13, and will also provide the opportunity for attendees to learn more about the legal claim itself and how it can help save the rivers Wye, Lugg and Usk. 

Leigh Day lawyers Oliver Holland, Benji Gourgey and Celine O’Donovan, along with other lawyers in the team, will be at the stand throughout the duration of the festival to discuss why the claim is being brought, and offer more information to those interested in joining it.  

The claim was launched in March 2024 against Avara Foods, its subsidiary Freemans of Newent and 50 per cent shareholder Cargill Plc, alleging that they are responsible for a large portion of pollution in these rivers.  

Local residents allege that Avara’s industrial chicken farming operations have resulted in phosphorous running into the Wye, Lugg and Usk via chicken manure, which has led to high levels of phosphorous in the river causing algal blooms which have damaged the eco-system. 

The claim expanded to include Welsh Water as a defendant in February 2025, alleging that the water company has also contributed to pollution in the Wye, Lugg and Usk via sewage spills directly into the rivers.  

Letters before action have been sent to both Avara, Freemans of Newent, Cargill Plc and Welsh Water, with the claim due to be filed over the summer. More than 3,000 people have joined the claim so far. 

Leigh Day is also sponsoring a talk at the festival, covering ecocide, nature rights and how people can seek justice for environmental damage in the courts. The talk will take place on Sunday 1 June at the Meadow Stage, and feature journalist Nicola Cutcher, barrister Mónica Feria Tinta, and lawyers Paul Powlesland and Philippe Sands. 

Leigh Day partner Oliver Holland said: 

“We are pleased to be back at this year’s Hay Festival after previously hosting a stand in 2024. This claim is being brought by members of the community, and opportunities to speak to the people whose lives and livelihoods are being affected by the pollution of the river Wye, Lugg and Usk provides vital insight. We hope to continue offering support and information for those interested in the claim, and explain to those in attendance how the legal claim might help stop future pollution and save these rivers.”