The one with the winner of the Golden Grapple…

For the first time in at least a couple of years, this month’s cleanup brought us back to the river at Kimber Road in Wandsworth: a very public part of the Wandle Trail, where the Wandle is tightly canalised between King George’s Park and private gardens backing onto the river.

Sainsbury’s seemed to have lost a few more shopping trolleys since we were last here…

… and maybe the Council was missing a lamp-post too: certainly that’s what it looked like as our unstoppable heavy brigade dredged it from the depths…

… and manhandled it over the park fence:

At coffee time we applauded the recipient of our famous Golden Grapple, the Wandle Trust’s award for the volunteer who’s gone furthest beyond the call of duty to help our aims and objectives this year.

Sue Bailey was our worthy winner…

… having met us for the first time when she was Lady Mayoress of Sutton (unhesitatingly climbing into waders, mayoral chain and all, to help us grapple rubbish out of Beddington Park Lake), she’s now a regular cleanup volunteer, gravel washer and egg delivery co-pilot for our Trout in the Classroom programme.  A true Wandle trouper if ever there was one!

Until 3pm we worked our way steadily upstream, ferrying lots of litter and heavy metal back down the footpath to make another amazingly large pile for our friends from Wandsworth Council …

 … but the Wandle still had a final surprise in store, an antique boiler buried under the bridge which no-one could resist heaving back the way it must have come – up the bank and then, with one monumental effort, over the railings…

 … before gratefully retiring to the Old Sergeant on Garrett Lane for a rehydrating pint or three!

Thanks to all our volunteers: Alan, Andy B, Ann, Ben, Ben S, Brin, Carol, Chris, Debbie, Diana, Douglas, Erica, Faure, Gabrielle, Henry, Ian, Jane, Jo L, Jo S, John O’B, Keith, Ken, Luko, Marie, Mark, Mark McL, Matt, Mike, Neil, Nick, Paul, Phil, Rachel, Rob, Robert, Rory, Sally, Sally Ann, Sue, Theo and Tom