Thames21 – working with communities to create clean, safe and sustainable waterside Issue 6 2003-04 environments

moving forward Welcome to our latest newsletter, which , the Bridge House Trust and 19 of comes at a momentous time for the organisa- London’s 32 local authorities generously con- tion. Thames21 has now been re-launched as tinue to support the organisation with core a new company with charitable status and its funding. Many more organisations and indi- own independent board of trustees. viduals support particular projects. This exciting development is the culmination There is lots of information about our work of ten years’ steady growth from a small proj- inside this newsletter. For more details, and to ect (ThamesClean) conceived in 1994 ‘to do keep up with all the developments, please something about litter and debris in the tidal visit our web site at www.thames21.org.uk Thames’ to an organisation which employs 13 From everyone at Thames21, thank you so people and turns over about £1m a year. much to all the people who gave us their EnCams, the Port of London Authority, the support in 2003 and to all those who will do Environment Agency, Thames Water, British so in 2004! Waterways London, the Corporation of Mark Lloyd Chief Executive Thames21 is working to improve London’s waterways for the benefit of everyone by offering people different ways to look after their local waterside environment. We strive to offer more opportunities for people to enjoy waterside space and to become involved in improving it. Every year we work with thousands of people who want to make a difference. Involve Improve The Adopt-a-River and Adopt-a-Canal schemes encourage To create open spaces that add quality to life, Thames21 local communities, groups or individuals in London to adopt a has developed a range of environmental improvement stretch of foreshore, canalside or riverbank. They can then activities. Teams of volunteers have removed acres of take part in or organise litter clean up events as often as they graffiti and hundreds of tonnes of litter across London. like. The aim of the scheme is to create a network of adopted A partnership with the London Probation Service means stretches to care for all London’s waterways. The Canalkeeper offenders on community service spend thousands of hours volunteers are a network of people who provide informal sup- a year adding to the work of the volunteers. port to visitors and deal with litter and graffiti. Thames21 has created eye-catching murals and artwork Creating opportunities for people to visit the foreshore and to brighten up blank walls and dark corners. We are also towpath is also an integral part of the programme. Thames21 developing a range of enhancement projects to create organises and supports many public events along the rivers habitat for native wildlife and plants and improve the and canals including at the Mayor’s Thames Festival that is appearance of water spaces. visited by tens of thousands of people every year. Businesses provide support through employee volunteering, ideas or sponsorship of specific projects.

The Canalkeeper volunteers not only improve the condition of the canals but are a point of contact for visitors to the towpath

Interpretation post created by Artist Ricky Grimes and students from Chiswick Community School for the Friend of Duke’s Meadows

1 2 3 The Environment Agency fish netting at the Mayor’s Thames Festival 3 steps to graffiti removal Maintain Thames21, in partnership with the Port of London Authority and British Waterways, provides unique cleansing services on the Thames and canals. Custom-built Taranchewer continues to reduce the amount of litter along the Arm of the . In the three years that the boat has been operating the cleanliness of the canal has increased by 25%. Also on the canal Thames21’s Towpath Team looks after the stretch between Ladbroke Grove and Cumberland Basin. A Crowds explore the shore as part of the National Archaeology typical day will see them collect litter, remove graffiti from bins Weekend celebrations at the Tower of London 4 and help out the Canalkeeper volunteers along their stretch. The Driftwood Service on the Thames, operated by the Port of London Authority, is co-funded by Thames21 and works close- ly with Adopt-a-River volunteers to remove litter collected at clean-ups. The Driftwood crews also work all year round to remove bikes, shopping trolleys, cars and increasing numbers of fridges. They remove more than 700 tonnes of rubbish each year.

Artist Kevin Herlihy running a mural making workshop Educate The Thames, its tributaries and the canal network make up London’s largest unofficial nature reserve and archaeological site representing a unique and exciting resource for learning. With funding support from the Bridge House Trust, Thames21 is encouraging the use of the waterways by schools, commu- nity groups and members of the public for foreshore explo- Taranchewer, hard at work on the canal ration, classroom study or just as a source of creative inspira- tion. By exploiting this exciting local resource, groups can investigate a wide diversity of topics, ranging from ecology to history, impacts of pollution to environmental responsibility. Also by offering people opportunities for involvement and learning, Thames21 can improve awareness of environmental quality issues. This in turn will encourage people to place greater value on their local environment and make better- informed choices to reduce their impact on it.

One of the Driftwood craft delivering a floating skip for volunteers to fill

There is always something new to discover on the foreshore Southall Westway The 21-9 Limekiln dock Canal One of our most active Adopt-a-River groups is based in Limekiln Dock near Canary Wharf. Local Canalkeeper Tightlines Canalkeeper businesswoman and community champion Lesley based Balding explains her motivation for starting a local volunteers Angling Club volunteers group: projects While the canal in London is used to appearing in The Thames21 Canal Towpath Team organised a The 21-9 Canalkeeper volunteers are a familiar ‘When I moved to five years ago episodes of shows like Eastenders the Southall weekly angling club under the Westway on the sight along the Regent’s canal where it passes Limekiln Dock was full of rubbish that had 1 Grand Union Canalkeeper Volunteers Canalkeeper volunteers were the television stars in Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal. It was through Lisson Green. The 21-9 Lisson Grove proj- obviously been there for years. It was upsetting to 2 Taranchewer an episode of the Channel 4 series Waterstories. for young people from the local youth organisa- ect provides a high level of support for adults with see this stretch of the river so uncared for.’ 3 Southall Canalkeeper Volunteers The volunteers from the Shri Ram Mandir on King tion, the Stowe Club. The teenagers were coached learning disabilities and high support needs living She convinced other local residents of the benefits 4 Hanwell Canalkeeper Volunteers Street hold regular clean-ups on The Common in over five weeks by professional angler Simon in Westminster. of a cleaner dock and has now organised several 5 GlaxoSmithKline Adopt-a-Canal Group Southall. In addition the Southall project is linked Wilsmore. As the weeks went by the volume and There are three members of the project who are clean ups and raised thousands of pounds. This 6 Brentford Anti-Graffiti Campaign to the Campaign for a Clean Ganges, based in variety of fish caught increased. Canalkeeper volunteers, in addition to two mem- helped Thames21 build several habitat rafts that 7 Canalkeeper Volunteers Varanasi India, giving it a global context. All participants received a rod licence and prizes, bers of staff. As Canalkeeper volunteers they have been built and deployed in the dock. They 8 Canalkeeper Volunteers including rods, tackle, clothing and gift vouchers. make a valuable contribution to the cleanliness of are proving very popular with the local wildfowl 9 Park Royal Graffiti Removal Project The Westway Tightlines was successful in the canal. The 21-9 Canalkeeper volunteers have population, offering a refuge from the incoming 10 Paddington Arm demonstrating how the canal can be used for been able to explore a fascinating environment tide. The rafts are also planted with native species, Canalkeeper Volunteers sustainable activities. that has seen them develop new canal related including reeds and purple loosestrife, which were 11 Kensal Moorings words for their sign language. once common along the entire length of the river. Canalkeeper Volunteers 12 Canal Walking Group 13 Westway Tightlines 14 Westbourne Green Mural 15 21-9 Canalkeeper Volunteers 16 Towpath Cleansing 17 Camden Canalkeeper Volunteers 18 Goods Way Canalkeeper Volunteers 19 Probation Graffiti Removal Team 20 Victoria Park Canalkeeper Volunteers

A habitat raft ready for planting

The Southall Canalkeeper volunteer project By the end of the summer the Westway is a unique link between the canals of West Tightlines members were catching 6 times as The 21-9 Canalkeeper volunteers are London and the River Ganges many fish than at the beginning. making a real difference to their adopted stretch of canal and are now familiar faces to canal users

= Canal projects

= Adopt-a-river

Thames21 – working with communities to create clean, safe and sustainable waterside environments

www.thames.org.uk [email protected] Tel: 020 7248 2916

Adopt-a-river sites 2003 1 Teddington Society 2 Thames Landscape Strategy 3 Mortlake21 4 Friends of Dukes Meadows 5 Chiswick Pier Trust 6 Hammersmith Society Article reproduced by kind permission of 7 BTCV Richmond Kentish Times Newspapers July 2003 8 Putney Society 9 Barn Elms21 10 All Saints Church The River Ravensbourne in Spring 11 Battersea Society 12 Iglesia ni Christo 13 WAVE Battersea Help clean up 14 Vauxhall City Farm The completed mural 15 Ramblers Association Staff Ladywell Fields our rivers! 16 The Mayor’s Thames Festival Anglers and residents have launched a crackdown 17 St Mungo’s Make it work team 200 brown trout eggs ready for the hatchery on rubbish-strewn rivers and footpaths. The Cray 18 London Wildlife Trust Group Anglers Conservation Group has already recov- 19 Mellon Formed in early 2001, this group represents the ered an old scooter, shopping trolleys and other 20 Bankside Stewards River of Life interests of Park users, working with Lewisham large debris from nearby waterways. 21 St Saviour’s Dock Council and others to maintain and enhance Group co-ordinator Ashe Hurst, 32, of Frobisher 22 Legal & General Property Limited Ladywell Fields, one of Lewisham’s most impor- Mural Road, Erith, said: “We have done a number of 23 Tower of London tant open spaces. Since 2001 the Group has held A spectacular mural celebrating the abundance of tidy-ups along the River Cray and around Crayford 24 Limekiln Dock Residents Group twice-yearly clean ups of the River Ravensbourne, life in the Thames was installed on the side of the as they have been in an appalling state.” 25 Timberland Fish for the Bargehouse overlooking the courtyard at Oxo which runs the one mile length of the Park: each 26 Hilton Hotels Involve Tower Wharf in September 2003. It is the creation year volunteers haul out several truckloads of 27 Morgan Stanley “We would like to involve people more on this of artist Kevin Herlihy who worked with shopping trolleys, bikes, beds, bottles, cans and 28 London Yard Residents Future worthwhile cause.” Eleven trout hatchery tanks have been set up in Thames21’s Education Officer at a series of work- other rubbish in an effort to maintain this rare and 29 Trinity Buoy Wharf schools along the Wandle Valley. Schools received shops and events held during the spring and sum- important wildlife habitat. The group, part of Thames21’s Adopt-a-River 30 Goldman Sachs the brown trout eggs in January 2004. Students mer of 2003. Over 600 local people helped with Over the last year the User Group has been suc- programme, which encourages communities to 31 Creekside Centre then care for the developing eggs and rear the the design and construction of the mural, which is cessful in getting its statutory partners involved in take an interest in their area, would like more 32 Brookmill Park hatched fry before releasing the young trout into made almost entirely from salvaged materials that proposals to enhance the river environment and members and volunteers to put on their wellies 33 Ladywell Fields User Group the Wandle in the spring of 2004. This project were discarded into the Thames. The project the park infrastructure generally. It is hoped that and help them with their crusade. 34 Riverwood Project allows the students to learn about fish biology and would not have been possible without the gener- money from the Environment Agency and the The group have cleared out the scrubland area of 35 Alcatel also encourages them to take an interest in the ous support of Singapore Airlines, Coin Street Hospital development will kick start a fundraising the Hall Place and were involved in another 36 Greenwich Yacht Club future of their local river. The project is run together Community Builders, The Mayor's Thames drive to make these aspirations a reality over the Thames foreshore clean-up as part of the Marsh 37 Crayford Anglers Conservation Group with the Jet Set Club, a local environmental group. Festival, Familylinks and many others. next few years. Madness weekend. 38 TRACS List of Achievements in 2003 supporters

• Over 4000 volunteers participated in the programmes of Thames21 Adnams • Over 700 tonnes of litter removed from the tidal Thames Brenford Lock Limited • 3000 children involved in riverside education projects Bridge House Trust • 2000 hours of graffiti removal City of Westminster • 3 tidal habitat creation projects established Clifford Chance • 2 community art projects complete Coinstreet Community Builders Corporation of London • Successful volunteer partnership project with Thames Explorer Trust St. Saviour’s Dock residents • 40 Canalkeeper volunteers working across the canal network in London English Heritage • Young people’s fishing project ‘Tightlines’ carried out Fifteen05 • Eleven trout hatchery tanks placed in schools in partnership with the Jetset Club First Westbourne Park Garage • 45 riverside clean ups Galliard Homes • 2 training events held for Adopt-a-River groups Giles Coren • Taranchewer carried out 175 days of cleansing along the Paddington Arm of the GlaxoSmithKline Regent’s Canal Goldman Sachs International • Support secured from 12 businesses Isis • Over 450 business volunteers James Alexander • 38 Adopt-a-River sites LB Barking & Dagenham • Over 7000 hours of waterside clean ups carried out by the Probation Service LB Barnet • 1 training event held for canal keeper volunteers LB Bexley LB Brent LB Bromley LB Enfield LB Greenwich Contacts LB Hammersmith & Fulham Thames21 Chris Coode LB Hounslow c/o Corporation of London River Programmes Manager LB Lambeth Walbrook Wharf [email protected] LB Lewisham Upper Thames Street Ed Telford LB Richmond London River Programmes Officer LB Southwark EC4R 3TD [email protected] LB Tower Hamlets Phone 020 7248 7171 Nicola Crilly Legal & General Company No: 4985828 Office Manager London Development Agency Reg Charity No: 1103997 [email protected] London Probation Area Mark Lloyd Kassandra Downes Lovells Chief Executive Canal Projects Assistant Morgan Stanley [email protected] [email protected] Park Royal Partnership Theo Thomas Victor Richardson Patagonia Canal Programmes Manager Enhancements Officer Pool of London Partnership [email protected] [email protected] RB Kingston upon Thames RB Kensington & Chelsea Rotherhithe Hilton Singapore Airlines St George West London Swiss Re 01923 229829 T

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