Thames21

Last Saturday, Thames21 teamed up with community group Roding Rubbish for a river cleanup along Footpath 47 (a public footpath in East London) at Barking Riverside. A community-driven event, it brought local residents together to celebrate the path’s unique wildlife and heritage to the people of Barking. While doing so, Thames21 held a talk on the importance of these spaces to community wellbeing and identity whilst also hearing from local experts on the ecological importance of the site. In total, we collected 38 bags of litter from just one stretch of the foreshore. We would like to give thanks to Roding Rubbish and all the volunteers who participated in the event. Their advocacy highlighted the space’s significance for local residents and wildlife alike, demonstrating the powerful role of community and their pride in place in preserving an ecologically important area.

Thames21 is joining the March for Clean Water this weekend. We will start from Albert Embankment (as shown in image) overlooking the River Thames in London and march to Parliament. We want to show our support for cleaning up rivers and ending all forms of river pollution. We want clean, healthy and resilient rivers. All river stakeholders will need to play their role in achieving the latter. However, we need the government to deliver urgent wide-ranging change. Walk with us. Please see more details here: https://lnkd.in/essbzSRP #marchforcleanwater #healthyrivers #cleanrivers #pollution #climateemergency #flooding #droughts #resilientrivers #water #cleanwater #rivers

👻👻I ain't afraid of no ghost... ☎️Who you gonna call? Thames21! Wanting to join something new? Part of the local community? Join us and take part in our community-based river restoration events. Make a positive difference to your local environment. If you want to get involved, please click on the link here to view our community events: https://lnkd.in/gMDvKnjv

Thank to you to Earl Russell who spoke really powerfully about the role citizen scientists play in helping to care for their rivers at yesterday’s House of Lords debate. It was nice that Thames21 and our volunteers were name-checked and given thanks for all the work we do in conducting citizen science initiatives. Kudos also went to the Rivers Trust’s Big River Watch initiative. He and other members of the House of Lords were scrutinising the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which is currently at committee stage. The Water (Special Measures) Bill was introduced into Parliament on 4 September 2024 by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). At the launch of the Bill, Defra emphasised that the Bill is intended to significantly strengthen the power of water industry regulators in the UK – holding water companies to account "where they have failed to deliver for the environment and customers and begin to restore trust in the industry". Yesterday, members of the House of Lords put forward amendments (changes) to the Bill on subjects including emergency overflow restrictions and monitoring of river health. Speaking yesterday, Earl Russell said that he wanted to make an amendment that would require the Environment Secretary to take steps to facilitate citizen science with regard to monitoring water companies. He stated: “It is fair to say that none of us might be sitting or standing here debating the measures in this Bill were it not for the tireless work of concerned citizens and their passionate dedication and care for their local environment.” He added: “Much of the information, knowledge and drive to prevent sewage discharges and much of the information about what is happening out there in the real world has come as a direct result of citizen science and citizens who care about their local environment. It is really important that we as Lords pay tribute to their work as a thank you to them, because the rise of this issue up the national debate and the national consciousness is partly a direct result of the work that they have taken up. “That is work where they have taken on roles that really should have been filled by the government and regulatory agencies. For whatever reason, they did not have the capacity to do that. There are too many of these organisations to mention them all, but I acknowledge the Rivers Trust and its Big River Watch, which has worked for many years to build up a detailed knowledge of local environments, as well as the work of Thames21. I hope that other noble Lords will join me in offering them thanks.” Read full Hansard transcript here: https://lnkd.in/e9ngYyiR UK House of Lords #citizenscience #rivers #riverthames #Thames21 #government #waterbill #water #healthyrivers #cleanwater Image - ©BBC

Generous #corporatedonations from businesses such as The Pokémon Company International, allow us to deliver all the wonderful things we do, and to plan for all the wonderful things we know we need to do even more of! So, on behalf of all our beneficiaries and staff, we wish to express our HUGE AND MASSIVE THANKS to all the teams at The Pokémon Company International! We honestly wouldn’t, indeed couldn’t, have reached where we are today without your incredibly generous support!! Unrestricted donations give us the rocket fuel we need to deliver our purpose of putting healthy rivers at the heart of communities. Contact Tom.Whitehead@thames21.org.uk to find out more!

The March for Clean Water protest is in sight. It will take place on Sunday 3rd November and start overlooking the River Thames at Albert Embankment, London. Thousands of water and river lovers are expected to join this protest. We are joining this peaceful march, organised by campaign group River Action UK , to show our support for cleaning up rivers and ending all forms of river pollution. Although the River Thames and its tributaries can be beautiful spaces, they are suffering from a myriad of pollution problems, including sewage pollution, road runoff, plastic pollution and agricultural pollution. As we have stressed before, wide-ranging underinvestment by water companies, inadequate regulation and a progressive decline in the health of our waterways needs a reversal. We welcomed the recent announcement by the government that it would be carrying a full review of the water system. Sticking plasters will not fix our broken water system. A comprehensive review must take into consideration the land feeding into our rivers (their catchments). We ask that the review is conducted in a timely fashion, that it takes into consideration recent proposals the government has made to overhaul the water sector, and that its recommendations are implemented without delay. We will be meeting at Albert Embankment on Sunday 3rd November at around 11am to join the march. We are urging our supporters to walk with us. We appreciate your support. If you wish to march with us, please see more details here: https://lnkd.in/essbzSRP #marchforcleanwater

We were thrilled to once again be chosen as the official UK #CharityPartner for the annual #SpiritofWipro Run that took place on 6th October at Newbury Racecourse, Reading. Over 600 participants woke especially early on a chilly Sunday morning to fundraise for Thames21 and to celebrate the camaraderie of Wipro’s staff, families, friends and clients, joining 1k and 5k races that catered for people of all ages and abilities. Chris Coode, CEO, Thames21, reflected: “To be chosen again as Wipro’s Charity Partner really is an honour for us. Wipro’s dedication to #wellbeing, #community, and #purpose aligns perfectly with our values at Thames21. I’d like to take this opportunity to wholeheartedly thank all the participants. This vital source of funding for Thames21 will enable us to deliver even greater impacts and outcomes for water, nature and people across London and the Thames Basin.” Puja Patwardhan, Head of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) and Wipro Cares, Wipro UK&I and Europe, commented: “This year, Wipro UK proudly participated once more in the Spirit of Wipro Run, supporting Thames21 for the second consecutive year. It's incredibly rewarding to contribute to a cause that tirelessly works towards building climate resilience.” Finally, our very special thanks to Omkar Nisal, Puja Patwardhan, and Sára Kalvachová for all your generous time, support and commitment given to our #CharityPartnership/ #CorporatePartnership - it means the world to us!😊

We would like to give a huge thank you to the volunteers who helped us to remove more toe-boarding from the Dollis Brook in North London last week. 1970s creosote covered toe-boarding has restricted the Brook and curtailed its natural flow. We have worked with volunteers and have found an innovative method to remove this. Creosote is produced by heat treating coal under pressure to produce a tar which is then distilled and was widely used in the past as a wood preserver. Today, this is considered a toxic substance and is banned for most uses as it is harmful to our environment, especially in water and can remain in the environment for decades. In the 1970s, timber toe-boarding was added to both sides of the Brook for flood protection, which made the river straight. Although the intentions were good, this initiative had negative consequences. For instance, it restricted the river waters to a smaller area, resulting in faster movements and more sediment, which in turn increased chances of flooding. Moreover, a natural river should meander and bend, slowing the water’s flow, creating more space for fish and other aquatic wildlife. To address these issues, Thames21 initiated a project, which started last year, to improve the health of the Dollis Brook for wildlife and for people. The removal of the toe-boarding will also allow for a better connection between the river and its floodplain. The project has been successful so far and we would like more members of the local community to get involved. Part of the North London community? Free on Saturday 2nd November between 10am-2pm? Please get involved in our next toe-boarding removal event. Please see more details here: https://lnkd.in/eH6jgGES

Thames21 welcomes the news that the government has launched an independent review into the water industry. This is a step in the right direction. Our rivers have been suffering for far too long. The whole system is not working. Water companies are failing to invest in ageing infrastructure and the regulators are failing to ensure that they deliver best outcomes for the environment and customers. The system has largely overlooked nature-based solutions, which will play a vital part of tackling the huge challenges which our rivers face, especially in the light of the climate emergency. Rivers across London and the Thames Basin need protecting from the damage caused by sewage, road runoff and agricultural pollution. Sticking plasters will not fix our broken water system. A comprehensive review must take into consideration the land feeding into our rivers (their catchments). We ask that the review is conducted in a timely fashion, that it takes into consideration recent proposals the government has made to overhaul the water sector, and that its recommendations are implemented without delay. We look forward to playing our part in this review by contributing evidence alongside other rivers trusts and key stakeholders. https://lnkd.in/eRC8BCNT

Great that the London Post covered our news story calling for the government to speed up the introduction of legislation to ban plastic in wet wipes. Read full story here: https://lnkd.in/g9WVwfHs #banplasticinwetwipes #riverthames #water #plasticpollution