You’ve heard of Springwatch, Crimewatch …

… and now we’re proud to present the Wandle Trust’s new and revolutionary CoirRollWatch, where we bring you updates on those 13 rolls of coconut fibre hammered into the Hackbridge stretch of the river by our keen volunteers earlier this year.

In the 2 months since then, it’s clear that germination and photosynthesis have been matching their efforts and working overtime.

Already, here’s the result upstream of the bridge, filling gaps in the older riparian fringe (it’s also worth remembering that this is a stretch we rescued from Himalayan Balsam last year – this year? not a trace so far):

Downstream alongside the concrete path, the effect is even more impressive, with lots of new sedge and flag iris already helping to mask that sterile vertical wall:

Best of all, growing season has only just started… so watch this space for more pictures in another couple of months!