A Goddess Has Been Born

13/08/25. Weighing 34lb 10oz, eye colour: disco.

It takes a water catchment area to raise a river spirit, so a big and swelling thank you to the Avon community.

The Avona’s art collective had wanted to create an animate form that could take the wrathful and playful energy of the river Avon out to the people. Lead facilitator and puppet creator Saskia Tomlinson understood the brief perfectly and sourced all natural and recycled materials for Avona to be made from.

After a healthy and happy gestation period at the Puppet Place, where her body was looped from willow, her hair and teeth from palm-tree fronds, an eel-like rill now ripples down her back in reflective cycling jackets and her eyes glint disco above luminescent lips.

On the day of her birthing ceremony crowds began gathering early. Camille Straatman hosted a mask-making workshop, where people could begin to embody other spirits of the river. A choir came together in the car park of St Annes House and from there the confluence walked and sung their way along the Avon to the Conham Bathing spot, led by lead puppeteer Bambi. More people were waiting for us by the river and everyone beamed at our Avona as she swayed to a stop by the water.

Almost Syncro swam past in time to the choir’s song and toe-flicked dirty river water to the sky in celebration. Mrs Meg Avon read a poem to her beloved river and to the baby they had borne and encouraged the crowd to tie wishes to the puppet about the river’s future health and happiness.

Four days later, Avona met her sister - The Goddess of the Wye puppet at Sunday’s golden hour of Green Man festival. The puppets, the River Bride, her bridesmaids and Lady Wye all processed from a screening of Rave on For the Avon at the Cinedrome, past the Green Man himself and down to the River Usk.

Over 150 people gathered on the bridge, waving flags and fishes down to Avona and friends on the river bank - calling out the names of their rivers to be held in the sacred space. Together we honoured the love that is necessary in our relationship with water, and mourned the ebbing vitality of our rivers.

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Avona’s next outing will be at The Bristol Aquarium on World River’s day Saturday the 27th September. Her dancing will begin the after party following a screening of Rave on for the Avon in the Imax cinema. On Sunday the 28th September there will be a day-long FREE exhibition of ‘River Joy’ art from many of the collaborators of the campaign so far. Here is an opportunity to buy friends-of-Avona discounted tickets.

On Monday the 8th September, Mrs Avon will be reading poems, telling the story of Avona and discussing ‘is the river safe to swim in?’ as part of The People’s Republic of Stokes Croft’s School of Activism.

Finally, there is still time to donate to our Crowdfunder so we can afford the workmanship to spruce Avona up for her next outing, any donations so gratefully recieved.