Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
moving forward
Thames21 – workingwith communities tocreate clean, safe andsustainable watersideenvironments
Welcome to our latest newsletter, whichcomes at a momentous time for the organisa-tion. Thames21 has now been re-launched asa new company with charitable status and itsown independent board of trustees. This exciting development is the culminationof ten years’ steady growth from a small proj-ect (ThamesClean) conceived in 1994 ‘to dosomething about litter and debris in the tidalThames’ to an organisation which employs 13people and turns over about £1m a year. EnCams, the Port of London Authority, theEnvironment Agency, Thames Water, BritishWaterways London, the Corporation of
London, the Bridge House Trust and 19 ofLondon’s 32 local authorities generously con-tinue to support the organisation with corefunding. Many more organisations and indi-viduals support particular projects.There is lots of information about our workinside this newsletter. For more details, and tokeep up with all the developments, pleasevisit our web site at www.thames21.org.uk From everyone at Thames21, thank you somuch to all the people who gave us their support in 2003 and to all those who will doso in 2004!
Mark LloydChief Executive
Issue 6 2003-04
ImproveTo create open spaces that add quality to life, Thames21has developed a range of environmental improvementactivities. Teams of volunteers have removed acres of graffiti and hundreds of tonnes of litter across London. A partnership with the London Probation Service meansoffenders on community service spend thousands of hoursa year adding to the work of the volunteers.Thames21 has created eye-catching murals and artwork to brighten up blank walls and dark corners. We are alsodeveloping a range of enhancement projects to createhabitat for native wildlife and plants and improve theappearance of water spaces.
Thames21 is working to improve London’s waterways for the benefit of everyone byoffering people different ways to look after their local waterside environment.
We strive to offer more opportunities for people to enjoy waterside space and tobecome involved in improving it. Every year we work with thousands of people whowant to make a difference.
The Environment Agency fish netting at the Mayor’s Thames Festival
Interpretation post created by Artist Ricky Grimes and students fromChiswick Community School for the Friend of Duke’s Meadows
3 steps to graffiti removal
Involve
2 31
The Adopt-a-River and Adopt-a-Canal schemes encouragelocal communities, groups or individuals in London to adopt astretch of foreshore, canalside or riverbank. They can thentake part in or organise litter clean up events as often as theylike. The aim of the scheme is to create a network of adoptedstretches to care for all London’s waterways. The Canalkeepervolunteers are a network of people who provide informal sup-port to visitors and deal with litter and graffiti.Creating opportunities for people to visit the foreshore andtowpath is also an integral part of the programme. Thames21organises and supports many public events along the riversand canals including at the Mayor’s Thames Festival that is 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 thecanals but are a point of contact for visitors to the towpath
Taranchewer, hard at work on the canal
Crowds explore the shore as part of the National ArchaeologyWeekend celebrations at the Tower of London
One of the Driftwood craft delivering a floating skip for volunteers to fill
MaintainThames21, in partnership with the Port of London Authorityand British Waterways, provides unique cleansing services onthe Thames and canals. Custom-built Taranchewer continuesto reduce the amount of litter along the Paddington Arm of theGrand Union Canal. In the three years that the boat has beenoperating the cleanliness of the canal has increased by 25%.Also on the canal Thames21’s Towpath Team looks after thestretch between Ladbroke Grove and Cumberland Basin. Atypical day will see them collect litter, remove graffiti from binsand help out the Canalkeeper volunteers along their stretch.The Driftwood Service on the Thames, operated by the Port ofLondon 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 toremove bikes, shopping trolleys, cars and increasing numbersof fridges. They remove more than 700 tonnes of rubbish each year.
EducateThe Thames, its tributaries and the canal network make upLondon’s largest unofficial nature reserve and archaeologicalsite representing a unique and exciting resource for learning.With funding support from the Bridge House Trust, Thames21is encouraging the use of the waterways by schools, commu-nity groups and members of the public for foreshore explo-ration, classroom study or just as a source of creative inspira-tion. By exploiting this exciting local resource, groups caninvestigate a wide diversity of topics, ranging from ecology tohistory, impacts of pollution to environmental responsibility.Also by offering people opportunities for involvement andlearning, Thames21 can improve awareness of environmentalquality issues. This in turn will encourage people to placegreater value on their local environment and make better-informed choices to reduce their impact on it.
4
Artist Kevin Herlihy running a mural making workshop
There is always something new to discover on the foreshore
Fish for theFutureEleven trout hatchery tanks have been set up inschools along the Wandle Valley. Schools receivedthe brown trout eggs in January 2004. Studentsthen care for the developing eggs and rear thehatched fry before releasing the young trout intothe Wandle in the spring of 2004. This projectallows the students to learn about fish biology andalso encourages them to take an interest in thefuture of their local river. The project is run togetherwith the Jet Set Club, a local environmental group.
River of LifeMuralA spectacular mural celebrating the abundance oflife in the Thames was installed on the side of theBargehouse overlooking the courtyard at OxoTower Wharf in September 2003. It is the creationof artist Kevin Herlihy who worked withThames21’s Education Officer at a series of work-shops and events held during the spring and sum-mer of 2003. Over 600 local people helped withthe design and construction of the mural, which ismade almost entirely from salvaged materials thatwere discarded into the Thames. The projectwould not have been possible without the gener-ous support of Singapore Airlines, Coin StreetCommunity Builders, The Mayor's ThamesFestival, Familylinks and many others.
Ladywell FieldsGroupFormed in early 2001, this group represents theinterests of Park users, working with LewishamCouncil and others to maintain and enhanceLadywell Fields, one of Lewisham’s most impor-tant open spaces. Since 2001 the Group has heldtwice-yearly clean ups of the River Ravensbourne,which runs the one mile length of the Park: eachyear volunteers haul out several truckloads ofshopping trolleys, bikes, beds, bottles, cans andother rubbish in an effort to maintain this rare andimportant wildlife habitat.
Over the last year the User Group has been suc-cessful in getting its statutory partners involved inproposals to enhance the river environment andthe park infrastructure generally. It is hoped thatmoney from the Environment Agency and theHospital development will kick start a fundraisingdrive to make these aspirations a reality over thenext few years.
Help clean upour rivers!Anglers and residents have launched a crackdownon rubbish-strewn rivers and footpaths. The CrayAnglers Conservation Group has already recov-ered an old scooter, shopping trolleys and otherlarge debris from nearby waterways.
Group co-ordinator Ashe Hurst, 32, of FrobisherRoad, Erith, said: “We have done a number oftidy-ups along the River Cray and around Crayfordas they have been in an appalling state.”
Involve“We would like to involve people more on thisworthwhile cause.”
The group, part of Thames21’s Adopt-a-River programme, which encourages communities totake an interest in their area, would like moremembers and volunteers to put on their welliesand help them with their crusade.
The group have cleared out the scrubland area ofthe Hall Place and were involved in anotherThames foreshore clean-up as part of the MarshMadness weekend.
SouthallCanalkeeper volunteersWhile the canal in London is used to appearing inepisodes of shows like Eastenders the SouthallCanalkeeper volunteers were the television stars inan episode of the Channel 4 series Waterstories.The volunteers from the Shri Ram Mandir on KingStreet hold regular clean-ups on The Common inSouthall. In addition the Southall project is linkedto the Campaign for a Clean Ganges, based inVaranasi India, giving it a global context.
WestwayTightlinesAngling ClubThe Thames21 Canal Towpath Team organised aweekly angling club under the Westway on thePaddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal. It wasfor young people from the local youth organisa-tion, the Stowe Club. The teenagers were coachedover five weeks by professional angler SimonWilsmore. As the weeks went by the volume andvariety of fish caught increased.
All participants received a rod licence and prizes,including rods, tackle, clothing and gift vouchers.The Westway Tightlines was successful in demonstrating how the canal can be used for sustainable activities.
The 21-9Canalkeeper volunteersThe 21-9 Canalkeeper volunteers are a familiarsight along the Regent’s canal where it passesthrough Lisson Green. The 21-9 Lisson Grove proj-ect provides a high level of support for adults withlearning disabilities and high support needs livingin Westminster.
There are three members of the project who areCanalkeeper volunteers, in addition to two mem-bers of staff. As Canalkeeper volunteers theymake a valuable contribution to the cleanliness ofthe canal. The 21-9 Canalkeeper volunteers havebeen able to explore a fascinating environmentthat has seen them develop new canal relatedwords for their sign language.
Limekiln dockOne of our most active Adopt-a-River groups isbased in Limekiln Dock near Canary Wharf. Localbusinesswoman and community champion LesleyBalding explains her motivation for starting a localgroup:
‘When I moved to Limehouse five years agoLimekiln Dock was full of rubbish that had obviously been there for years. It was upsetting tosee this stretch of the river so uncared for.’
She convinced other local residents of the benefitsof a cleaner dock and has now organised severalclean ups and raised thousands of pounds. Thishelped Thames21 build several habitat rafts thathave been built and deployed in the dock. Theyare proving very popular with the local wildfowlpopulation, offering a refuge from the incomingtide. The rafts are also planted with native species,including reeds and purple loosestrife, which wereonce common along the entire length of the river.
1 Teddington Society2 Thames Landscape Strategy3 Mortlake214 Friends of Dukes Meadows5 Chiswick Pier Trust6 Hammersmith Society 7 BTCV Richmond8 Putney Society9 Barn Elms21
10 All Saints Church11 Battersea Society12 Iglesia ni Christo13 WAVE Battersea14 Vauxhall City Farm15 Ramblers Association Staff16 The Mayor’s Thames Festival17 St Mungo’s Make it work team18 London Wildlife Trust19 Mellon20 Bankside Stewards21 St Saviour’s Dock22 Legal & General Property Limited23 Tower of London24 Limekiln Dock Residents Group25 Timberland26 Hilton Hotels27 Morgan Stanley28 London Yard Residents29 Trinity Buoy Wharf30 Goldman Sachs31 Creekside Centre32 Brookmill Park33 Ladywell Fields User Group34 Riverwood Project35 Alcatel36 Greenwich Yacht Club37 Crayford Anglers Conservation Group38 TRACS
Adopt-a-river sites 2003
The Southall Canalkeeper volunteer project is a unique link between the canals of WestLondon and the River Ganges
Article reproduced by kind permission ofKentish Times Newspapers July 2003
The completed mural
The River Ravensbourne in Spring
200 brown trout eggs ready for the hatchery
By the end of the summer the WestwayTightlines members were catching 6 times asmany fish than at the beginning.
The 21-9 Canalkeeper volunteers are making a real difference to their adoptedstretch of canal and are now familiar faces to canal users
A habitat raft ready for planting
Canal basedprojects
1 Grand Union Canalkeeper Volunteers2 Taranchewer3 Southall Canalkeeper Volunteers4 Hanwell Canalkeeper Volunteers5 GlaxoSmithKline Adopt-a-Canal Group6 Brentford Anti-Graffiti Campaign7 Greenford Canalkeeper Volunteers8 Alperton Canalkeeper Volunteers9 Park Royal Graffiti Removal Project
10 Paddington Arm Canalkeeper Volunteers
11 Kensal Moorings Canalkeeper Volunteers
12 Canal Walking Group13 Westway Tightlines14 Westbourne Green Mural15 21-9 Canalkeeper Volunteers 16 Towpath Cleansing 17 Camden Canalkeeper Volunteers18 Goods Way Canalkeeper Volunteers19 Probation Graffiti Removal Team20 Victoria Park Canalkeeper Volunteers
Thames21 – working with communities to create clean, safeand sustainablewaterside environments
[email protected] Tel: 020 7248 2916
= Canal projects
= Adopt-a-river
List of supportersAdnams
Brenford Lock Limited
Bridge House Trust
City of Westminster
Clifford Chance
Coinstreet Community Builders
Corporation of London
St. Saviour’s Dock residents
English Heritage
Fifteen05
First Westbourne Park Garage
Galliard Homes
Giles Coren
GlaxoSmithKline
Goldman Sachs International
Isis
James Alexander
LB Barking & Dagenham
LB Barnet
LB Bexley
LB Brent
LB Bromley
LB Enfield
LB Greenwich
LB Hammersmith & Fulham
LB Hounslow
LB Lambeth
LB Lewisham
LB Richmond
LB Southwark
LB Tower Hamlets
Legal & General
London Development Agency
London Probation Area
Lovells
Morgan Stanley
Park Royal Partnership
Patagonia
Pool of London Partnership
RB Kingston upon Thames
RB Kensington & Chelsea
Rotherhithe Hilton
Singapore Airlines
St George West London
Swiss Re
Thames Festival
Timberland UK
Unilever
Wandsworth BC
pete
rmag
nusd
esig
n.co
.uk
T
0192
3 22
9829
Achievements in 2003
Contacts
• Over 4000 volunteers participated in the programmes of Thames21• Over 700 tonnes of litter removed from the tidal Thames• 3000 children involved in riverside education projects• 2000 hours of graffiti removal• 3 tidal habitat creation projects established • 2 community art projects complete• Successful volunteer partnership project with Thames Explorer Trust• 40 Canalkeeper volunteers working across the canal network in London• Young people’s fishing project ‘Tightlines’ carried out• Eleven trout hatchery tanks placed in schools in partnership with the Jetset Club • 45 riverside clean ups• 2 training events held for Adopt-a-River groups • Taranchewer carried out 175 days of cleansing along the Paddington Arm of the
Regent’s Canal • Support secured from 12 businesses• Over 450 business volunteers • 38 Adopt-a-River sites• Over 7000 hours of waterside clean ups carried out by the Probation Service • 1 training event held for canal keeper volunteers
Newsletter sponsored by
Thames21c/o Corporation of LondonWalbrook Wharf Upper Thames StreetLondonEC4R 3TD
Phone 020 7248 7171
Company No: 4985828Reg Charity No: 1103997
Mark LloydChief [email protected]
Theo ThomasCanal Programmes [email protected]
Chris CoodeRiver Programmes [email protected]
Ed TelfordRiver Programmes [email protected]
Nicola CrillyOffice [email protected]
Kassandra DownesCanal Projects [email protected]
Victor RichardsonEnhancements [email protected]
