Matt Griffin – River Champion 2025
Our 2025 Tweed Forum River Champion, Peeblesshire farm manager Matt Griffin, has a nature-inspired approach to agriculture which improves land resilience and enhances biodiversity. Managing four upland farms across 980 ha at Neidpath Farms in Peebleshire, Matt has introduced a series of measures that put soil health first, making the land and farm business more resilient, enhancing biodiversity and improving the quality of water flowing into the Tweed. Measures include a worm farm, multiple composting bioreactors producing organic matter that nourishes the soil and a water purification system that removes chemicals including chlorine from mains water before it’s used on compost, ensuring beneficial soil biology remains intact. Matt has also implemented adaptive multi-paddock grazing, moving livestock through pasture in short intervals to mimic natural herding behaviour.
Phil Ellis – River Champion 2024
Phil Ellis, our 2024 Tweed Forum River Champion, is a Scottish Borders ghillie who expanded his role to include extensive conservation of the river environment. Phil works on the 1.3 mile double-bank Tweedswood beat which runs beneath the iconic Leaderfoot Viaduct and his extraordinary commitment to conserving the River Tweed includes tree planting and invasive species control as well as managing the grass on his beat to encourage biodiversity. Phil’s conservation work also includes the creation of a YouTube film – Tweedswood – a Modern Ghillie’s Mission – which he developed and sourced funding for in order to raise awareness of the problems faced by Atlantic salmon and explain some of the action that needs to be taken to address its decline.
Wendy Cunningham – River Champion 2023
Our 2023 Tweed Forum River Champion Wendy Cunningham has spent many years helping to coordinate the restoration of over 53 hectares of natural habitat within the Tweed catchment with Leadburn Community Woodland. Wendy became involved with Leadburn Community Woodland in 2006, when an initial 44 hectares were purchased from Forestry Scotland with the aim of replanting the area with a diverse range of indigenous tree species and creating an environment for visitors to enjoy. A network of paths have since been developed and, over the years, Wendy and fellow-volunteers have also organised the transformation of flat, barren clearfell into a mosaic of habitats that have become a haven for wildlife and a beautiful resource for the community.
John Clayton – River Champion 2022
Ecologist and citizen scientist, John Clayton, received the 2022 Tweed Forum River Champion Award in recognition of his important work conserving aquatic insects (also known as aquatic invertebrates). Aquatic invertebrates are a fundamental element of the river’s freshwater ecosystem, and though he’s retired, John monitors six sites along the Tweed on a monthly basis, collecting invertebrate population data and feeding this into a central Riverfly Partnership database so that the overall health of the UK’s rivers can be understood, water quality protected and habitats conserved. He also shares his knowledge with other enthusiasts and aspiring freshwater ecologists and regularly gives up his time to train groups of citizen scientists across Scotland.
John Tullie – River Champion 2021
Our 2021 River Champion, John Tullie, has carried out significant conservation work on land he owns and farms over the past decade. A sheep and cattle farmer from Teviothead, near Hawick, John undertook a whole-farm conservation plan and introduced a series of important water, wetland and woodland initiatives that will have multiple environmental benefits. He has also been an early adopter of habitat creation for natural flood management on his tenanted Buccleuch Estates farm at Bowanhill. This is the second time in the six-year history of the River Champion Award that the accolade has been given to a farmer, emphasising the importance of the farming community to the protection of the landscape.
Edward Cawthorn – River Champion 2020
Edward Cawthorn, our 2020 River Champion, has been one of the driving forces behind the campaign to preserve the historic Union Chain Bridge linking England and Scotland across the River Tweed. The Union Chain Bridge was the world’s longest chain suspension bridge when it opened in July 1820 and was built using innovative manufacturing and engineering techniques that were hugely influential in the development of suspension bridges around the world. With the bridge falling into disrepair and threatened with closure, Edward’s efforts, along with those of the members of the Friends of the Union Chain Bridge, helped to raise over £250,000 in funding toward the cost of repairing the structure.
Tom Rawson – River Champion 2019
Melrose teacher Tom Rawson was chosen as the 2019 River Champion for his campaign to reduce plastic littering and single-use plastic consumption in the Scottish Borders. He helped make St Mary’s School, Melrose Scotland’s first plastic-free school and also organises the Great Borders River Clean which usually takes place in October and has involved, to date, 20 towns on 6 rivers across the Scottish Borders. Tom has also coordinated a number of tree-planting projects.
Eric Hastings – River Champion 2018
Eric, a retired river guardian from Drygrange, has dedicated his life to protecting the river Tweed. From tracking and catching poachers and regulating rod fishing, to carrying out fish monitoring surveys, as well as dealing with pollution incidents, invasive plant species, illegal engineering works and obstructions in the water, Eric has tackled everything. A 41 year career at the River Tweed Commission saw Eric develop an encyclopaedic knowledge of the river and rise to the rank of Chief Inspector and Superintendent. Following in the footsteps of his father, who was a river bailiff for 45 years, Eric has developed an unrivalled knowledge of the Tweed and its tributaries; the Till, Whiteadder, Teviot, Ettrick and Yarrow, which he has frequently navigated at speed, often in the dark.
Jim Sinclair – River Champion 2017
Tenant farmer Jim Sinclair, from Crookston Farm near Galashiels received the 2017 River Champion Award in recognition of his efforts to integrate farming, forestry and conservation, and for his enthusiasm for land and water management education.
Alongside his son Graeme, Jim has been introducing natural flood management techniques at his farm to slow the flow of surface water from the catchment above Stow and Galashiels and reduce flood risk downstream during heavy rainfall. The work has also created ideal wildlife habitat and is helping to enhance streams that are recognised as powerhouses for the area’s salmon production. Jim also welcomes organised visits through Tweed Forum for local farmers, university and college students, and land and water managers from as far away as Ireland, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Spain and Italy.
Frank Turnbull – River Champion 2016
The winner of our first-ever Tweed Forum River Champion Award was Frank Turnbull from Coldstream. We introduced this award to mark the 25th anniversary of Tweed Forum and Frank was chosen by our judging panel because of his exceptional and continuing hard work and enthusiasm for the preservation of the river and its surroundings. From tackling invasive plant species, grass strimming, tree planting and erecting fences, to participating in fish monitoring and preservation initiatives, his contribution is outstanding. We’d like to thank Frank and everyone else who works to protect and preserve the wonderful River Tweed.