Waterways Festival at Heritage Quays to feature police forensics talks

By Greg Dawson
The Waterways festival will celebrate rivers and reservoirs in the Kirklees area this month.
The festival is the end of a year-long project by River Holme Connections, which will involve activities for local schools and talks from environmental experts.
Throughout the project, their community lead group has improved local rivers by cleaning litter and controlling invasive species.
The festival will run from October 22nd to the 23rd, 10:30 to 8 pm, providing talks open to the public and the second day for local schools to attend. These talks will be taking place at the Learning Centre in Heritage Quay, at the University of Huddersfield.
Included in the event are:
Talks covering pollution, climate change and police forensics.
Professor Carolyn Roberts will give a talk on how bodies found in river systems are traced by the police, Professor Roberts promising a look into the “fascinating and sometimes macabre world of forensic hydrology.”
Dr Paul Gaskell will speak about what the public can do to improve the quality of our rivers for local wildlife.
Rob Casey is speaking about the harsh reality of the impact of single-use plastics and pollutants to our waterways, promising a “no holds barred look” at the current condition of our rivers.
Lynda Russel, who is a trustee of River Holme Connections said: “Educating communities, and especially young people who spend significantly less time outdoors than their parents did in childhood, is vital.
“Through education, we want to give young people a lifelong love of the outdoors and encourage them to become the future custodians of our rivers.”
Talks are free to attend although tickets must be booked in advance available from:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/our-holme-festival-rivers-are-the-lifeblood-of-your-town-tickets-71640096457