Broads bathing site application for River Waveney in Bungay

The River Waveney Trust hosted the occasion at Falcon Meadow in Bungay to unite people in "celebrating the river" and to raise awareness of their campaign.

Lead organiser Katie Utting said: "Today has brought complete joy to everyone, this is what it is all about.

"People are appreciating and celebrating the river for the splendour it brings and gives.

“For me, the river is its own being, a living thing, and people need to love it and treat it as their own and take what it gives as a gift.

“We want to spread the message that all rivers are clean enough to swim in and sewage is not dumped in our river network.

"It is imperative we all fight and unite to protect them so I am delighted by the great turnout today."

READ MORE: River Waveney Trust's application for official bathing site recognition

More than 100 people took the plunge over the course of afternoon at the event to show support for the bathing site application (Image: Bruno Brown)

Choirs sang, bands played, ice cream was eaten and beers were drank at the event on Falcon Meadow (Image: Bruno Brown)

Anglian Water and the Broads Authority were at the fun-filled event in partnership with the River Waveney Trust to assist in raising awareness of the river and water quality.

The trust last week submitted its application to Defra in the hope of confirming the water as an official bathing site.

As part of the event, organisers were eager to get as many attendees in the water, to show the spirit and passion for the river is widespread in the town.

Anglian Water representatives teamed up with The River Waveney Trust in support of the movement to keep the river clean (Image: Bruno Brown)

READ MORE: Cold water swimmers take the plunge EVERY DAY in March to save school trips

If successful, Bathing Water Designation will be awarded around February next year, making Falcon Meadow the second site in Suffolk to be designated after the success at Waldringfield on the River Deben.

The project is supported by Anglian Water’s Get River Positive initiative, the Geoffrey Watling Charity, Postcode Places Trust and Bungay Town Council.

Emily Winter (left), Martha Meek (centre) and Katie Utting (right) from The River Waveney Trust (Image: Bruno Brown)

To support the bathing water site application the Waveney Trust have created this barcode to record numbers of users of the water, scan it to check in (Image: Submitted)