Wandle cleanup: May 2009: Wandsworth

The one with Yorick and the shotgun…

When Michael and Jo at Wandsworth Council asked us to join London’s official Capital Cleanup Campaign, it was an invitation we couldn’t refuse…

… so we threw this month’s 65 volunteers a challenge: Ravensbury Terrace, the monthly Riverfly Monitoring stretch of the Wandle just below Earlsfield railway bridge and Trewint Street’s fly-tipping blackspot. 

Those who’d hoped for a big one warmed up with a waterlogged retro-futuristic armchair:

armchair

… and the human chain swung into action along the bank:

chain-gang

sue-with-barrow

Felix found the final traces of a ram-raided hole-in-the-wall we’d retrieved upstream, years ago

cash-machine

 … while one of our younger volunteers pulled out most of a safe-cracker’s toolkit, drills, saws and all…

saw

 … and CSI Gill demonstrated (yet again, before taking another unscheduled swim with the fishes) her flawless instinct for discarded gangland weaponry!

gill-with-shotgun

Most macabrely, alongside some amazingly heavy fishing tackle…

spinners-3

… a sinister rubber Shakespearean (or was it just Hallowe’en?) prop also appeared…

yorick

… perfectly on cue to horrify our friends from Project Dirt: Mark and Nick, who’d arrived with cameraman Jack to interview Bella in her natural environment…

bella-interview-1

upstream-cleanup

… before Wandsworth Council’s cage lorry came to take the rubbish away…

rubbish-pile

 … and leave our kind neighbours Richard and Tricia Sinclair in peace to enjoy the rest of their afternoon beside a newly-sparkling stretch of river: big thanks to them for letting us use their facilities, and for the generous supply of biscuits and hot water!

Thanks to all our volunteers: Abi, Agnes, Andy B, Andy P, Ann, Barry, Ben, Billy, Brin, Bruce, Chris, Coco, Debbie, Diana, Douglas, Duncan, Eddie, Elspeth, Erica, Estelle, Felix, G Jerkovic, Gideon, Gill, Helene, Ian, Itake, James, Jack, Jamilia, Jane, Jasone, Jessica, Jo H, Jo L, John, Keith, Ken, Les, Liz, Luko, Madhu, Maggie, Mike, Natasha, Nichola, Nicola, Nick G, Nick M, Nick S, Paul, Peter, Phil, Rigby, Rob, Rory, Rufus, Sally, Stephen, Steve, Steve C, Steve K, Sue, Theo and Tom

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