The new Rivers and People programme has landed. We will be carrying on our usual programme of events along the river banks in parks such as Ladywell Fields, Brookmill Park and Manor Park. If you would like to get involved, please contact us for more information.
Thames21 writes
Want to help create a buzz about the health of the Thames? Help Thames21 spread the word about what we are doing on the Thames, get people involved, and get people excited about taking action to help clean up and monitor the Thames by becoming a Thames River Watch ambassador. As a Thames ambassador, you will support our events by welcoming volunteers, chatting to locals, and answering questions about Thames21. Our events are good at generating curiosity, so we want to explain what we are doing and get people to join in.
This day-long training session will provide non-experts with the knowledge and tools to become a Thames River Watch ambassador. Click here to find out more about the Thames River Watch project.
The session will include:
The session involves indoor learning and a practical session on the foreshore.
Please note: if this is your first training session with Thames21, please sign up here.
If you have already registered for a training session with Thames21, you can sign onto this one by clicking here.
If you are interested in other training opportunities offered by Thames21 please sign up to receive our Training Bulletin
Date and time: June 26 Time 10:30 am – 4:30 pm
Venue: National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Contact Abbi Kent
Phone: 07826913307
Email: abbi.kent@thames21.org.uk
Last week, when the weather wasn’t quite so gusty and wet, the river volunteers worked hard on clearing the backwater in Ladywell Fields. The are is becoming quite clogged with reeds and so we need to dig them out from the roots to stop them from spreading and taking over. The image above shows most of them trying to move a huge clump – it took that many people to move it! The satisfaction when it did finally go was massive!
It is an area that we will continue to work on to make sure there is some open water and reeds – to maintain the balance.
“The diverse and dynamic role of volunteerism in promoting the Sustainable Development Goals merits strong support from Governments and other stakeholders. On this International Day, I thank volunteers for their efforts to leave no one behind.” — António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
International Volunteer Day (IVD) mandated by the UN General Assembly, is held each year on 5 December. It is viewed as a unique chance for volunteers and organisations to celebrate their efforts, to share their values, and to promote their work among their communities, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), United Nations agencies, government authorities and the private sector.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the volunteers in Lewisham (not just those who work in the parks and nature reserves) for all the hard work that you do. You all do a fantastic job and the work you do is invaluable.
On Wednesday 28 November, Parks for London published the Good Parks for London Report 2018: Improving London’s parks for all.
The Good Parks for London Report 2018 considers the approach that London Boroughs are taking towards parks and green spaces, evaluating them against ten criteria: public satisfaction, awards for quality, health and wellbeing, sustainability, events, supporting nature, skills development, community partnerships, collaboration and strategic planning.
London Borough of Lewisham has topped the chart for the second year in a row, demonstrating the fantastic work that they are doing to promote and protect parks and green spaces across their Borough.
Criteria used to assess London Boroughs’ parks and green spaces services:
1. Public satisfaction with parks
2. Awards for quality (Green Flags and London in Bloom)
3. Collaboration
4. Events: both policy and range and number of events
5. Health, fitness and well-being
6. Supporting nature
7. Community partnerships
8. Skills development
9. Sustainability
10. Strategic planning
For reference the first report of 2017 can be found here.
This maybe isn’t so much strange as unusual! She was found in one of the ponds in Sydenham Wells Park, but we are not sure who she is. Can anyone help? We don’t know how long she has been there or where she came from, but we put her back carefully the same day.
There will be a small charge for delegates to go towards the running costs of the day, cost tbc. Please book through Eventbrite
On a lovely sunny wade through Ladywell Fields the other week, we cam across this chap. We don’t know he is or where he came from – any ideas?
Thames 21 writes….
Do you cherish rivers and enjoy exploring them? Do you love the wildlife that roams our countryside? Do you want to learn about what’s being done to protect London’s life-giving rivers and how you can help?
Then join us for the third annual London Rivers Week, running from Saturday June 23 to Sunday July 1. This year’s theme is Valuing Water, and our partners are putting on a fascinating list of free activities, with something for all the family – from walks and talks and a kayak event to demonstrations and even a film premiere.
You won’t want to miss our launch event on Sunday 24th June, at Ladywell Fields from 12pm to 3pm.
You’ll be able to become a dragonfly detective, explore what’s in the water through river dipping and make discoveries through riverfly monitoring.
The event will be a showcase of citizen science programmes by a range of partners.
Find out, for example, how Thames21 volunteers collect data about the types of plastic found in the Thames, or how water quality is tested by robot boats. There are 600km of waterways in the capital. That’s the same as the distance between Brighton and Edinburgh.
And during the week, you’ll have the chance to learn about the issues that affect many of them.
Do you fancy getting to know your local stretch of river better by clearing litter? Or taking over the invasive species which also choke our rivers? We’ve also got events like that, which will help you make a difference to these lifebloods for wildlife.
Otters, trout, bats, kingfishers and eels all use London rivers – but increasingly they need the public’s help to survive and thrive, in the face of plastic pollution, sewage and the impacts of climate change.
London’s rivers are often peaceful, natural places, where we can escape city life. They are havens where we can relax by the water, watch swans nesting or if we’re lucky, spot a flash of blue as one of Britain’s most beautiful birds, a kingfisher, speeds across the water.
So what are you waiting for? Take a look at our fantastic range of activities and book your place at one today!
If you can’t wait, whet your appetite by reading case studies about 23 restoration projects which include Ladywell Fields, giving you a world of nature to explore at places that have been rewilded in recent years.
London Rivers Week is sponsored by Thames Water. Read more about the groups behind the organisation of London Rivers Week.
Rivers and People 