The one when we cleaned up Frederic Halford’s old fishery…

Since the early 20^th century the course of the River Wandle downstream from Goat Bridge has been unrecognisably altered (check out those canalised concrete banks when you’re next walking that section of the Wandle Trail!)

Upstream of the Goat Bridge mills, on the other hand, the local Victorian fishermen who taught Frederic Halford to fish a dry fly for trout at this time of year would probably still recognise the long southward curve towards Culver’s Island, the poplars and blackthorn bushes on the banks, maybe even the trout that are starting to breed in the upper river again…

… but they certainly wouldn’t recognise the the housing estates, the iron railings, and the amazing amount of rubbish that builds up here between visits from the newfangled Wandle Trust (our last was in August 2008).

Starting in the willows below the wooden bridge, we worked our way up through a tunnel of blackthorn blossom…

… an idyllic scene not lost on modern-day Wandle angler Jason, who took an early bath in a deep hole, but luckily came up grinning…

 … or Carshalton and Wallington MP Tom Brake, who waded valiantly into the same deep sections without mishap, and pulled out a lot of rubbish in the process!

After coffee time, Jez and Gideon led a party of volunteers back behind the railings of the Wandle Valley Nature Reserve…

… whilst Erica practiced her scooter technique…

 … and most of the rest of us turned our attention to an impromptu wader patching party, or at least finding holes by filling the waders with river water…

 … before sending them off to be glued, welded and otherwise treated with professional life support (thanks to Jo and her company White Light for sponsoring the ambulance / courier service for us!)

Finally, we ended the sunny afternoon with one last sweep up to the former bleaching meadows at Culvers’ Island…

 … surely another of Halford’s old springtime haunts, and an inspiring reminder that we’re all playing our own important parts in the Wandle’s continuing history!

Thanks to all our volunteers: Abi, Andrew, Andy B, Andy P, Ann, Aya, Barry, Corinne, Dave, David, Di G, Di H, Di T, Dominic, Doug, Erica, Gideon, Harrison, Helen, Jamie, Jan, Jane, Jason, Jez, Jo, John, Josephine, Julie, Ken, Louis, Mahelet, Mike, Neil, Nick, Nora, Peter, Rebecca, Roger, Sally, Sam, Sihong, Theo, Toby, Tom, Val and Wayne

… who pulled out…

11 wooden boards, 9 tyres, 6 bicycles, 5 chairs, 4 traffic cones, 3 carpets, 3 footballs, 2 corrugated plastic sheets, 2 pallets, 2 kid’s scooters, 2 inner tubes, 1 road sign, 1 beer barrel, 1 metal fence panel, 1 basketball post, 1 suitcase, 1 skateboard, 1 length of guttering, 1 sheet of insulation, 1 table, 1 pram, 1 wheelbarrow, 1 corner bath and more than 30 bags of smaller rubbish for Sandra and her team from Sutton Council to collect for us.