Rising waters | Rooted solutions
York rivers trail: shaping river stories
Community members and partners joined a River Ouse event to help shape the York rivers trail, exploring river stories, resilience and connections.
York’s rivers have always shaped the city - and a new project is helping people understand that relationship in a new way.
Earlier this month, residents, partners and contributors came together on the River Ouse as part of the York Festival of Ideas, taking part in a curated on-the-water experience designed to help shape the York rivers trail.
From the river itself, participants experienced stories of nature, heritage and adaptation, alongside time to pause, reflect and share ideas. Rather than a traditional talk, the session was designed as a shared experience - encouraging people to observe the river, consider how it connects places across the wider catchment, and reflect on what this means for York today.
From river to catchment: connection and resilience
The York rivers trail is a new public experience bringing together art, storytelling and science to explore how rivers shape - and are shaped by - places and communities.
A central idea is the connection between upstream and downstream places. Water flowing through York has often travelled from miles away, meaning that what happens across the wider landscape directly affects the city. This whole-catchment perspective is key to building long-term flood resilience.
Councillor Jenny Kent, Executive Member for Environment and Climate Emergency at City of York Council, said:
York’s rivers have always shaped our city. The York Rivers trail illuminates this history, and explains how natural flood management such as tree planting, hedge laying and mimicking beaver style dams can help slow the flow here in York.
"The aim is to help connect people with their environment, building awareness of flood resilience, including actions we can all take, and supporting a more climate-ready city for everyone.
"It has been a pleasure to hear directly from everyone involved.”
This reflects the role of natural flood management - including tree planting and restoring natural features - in slowing water flow and reducing flood risk across the catchment.
Shaping the York rivers trail together
The York rivers trail has been in development since 2025, with input from partners, schools and communities across York and North Yorkshire. Events like this continue to shape the trail both ahead of its launch and as it evolves over time.
During the gathering, participants shared reflections on what the river means to them, what people should better understand, and how the trail could feel relevant to everyday life.
This ongoing approach to co-design ensures the trail is not only informative, but grounded in local knowledge, experience and identity.
Looking ahead
The Festival of Ideas event is part of a wider programme of engagement taking place throughout June, including work with schools and community groups.
Launching in summer 2026, the York rivers trail will offer a new way to explore the River Ouse and understand how people, place and water are connected - helping make flood resilience visible and relevant to everyday life.
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