The first one with…

We always knew this month’s community cleanup would be a big ‘un: the first part of a springtime two-hander supported by LOCOG’s Changing Places programme and the EU WATER project.

Brought to the Wandle via our partnership with the Association of Rivers Trusts, the WATER project has been selected within the scope of the INTERREG IVA France (Channel) – England cross-border European cooperation programme, co-financed by the ERDF.

We were also delighted to be running this cleanup in partnership with fellow Rivers Trust at Thames 21 (and a good thing too – because we wouldn’t have had nearly enough pairs of our own waders for such numbers!)

In fact, a new Wandle record of 90 volunteers turned out to help clean up the Ravensbury Terrace stretch of the river, just down the line from Earlsfield railway station…

Thames 21’s supply of floating half-barrels proved an instant hit…

… whilst the heavy brigade wondered: what’s down there?

At coffee time, the girls from Burntwood School presented us with several pieces of much-needed hardware:

Not long afterwards, the inevitable once-highly-expensive dirt bike appeared…

… and Andy finished his Riverfly monitoring in time to get to grips with a carpet that had clearly been frustrating him for months:

By 3.00pm we all knew we’d collected too much rubbish for just one Wandsworth Council wagon…

… 44 tyres, 13 metal pipes, 6 rubber pipes, 4 corrugated plastic sheets, 4 carpets, 3 mattresses, 3 metal cylinders, 3 trellises, 2 industrial bolts of fabric, 2 sheets of wire mesh, 2 pillows, 2 ghetto blasters, 2 tricycles, 2 pushchairs, 2 car seats, 2 coconuts, 1 motor bike, 1 safe, 1 car battery, 1 bucket, 1 lamp post, 1 kitchen sink, 1 bedhead, 1 metal trolley, 1 television, 1 gas canister, 1 toilet, 1 heater, 1 football, 1 washing machine plus around 80 bags of assorted other rubbish…

… but one of our volunteers phoned home, and soon we were loading a scrap lorry too.

See you all for part 2 in Merton next month!

Thanks to all our volunteers: Abi, Afzal, Aisling, Alex, Alex C, Alex F, Amy, Andrew, Andy, Andy B, Andy P, Anna, Beene, Ben, Carol, Catherine, Cecilia, Charlie, Christine, Cigdem, David, Debbie, Dennis, D Hiscock, D Whitcher, Edmund, Ella, Erica, Evisa, Gail, Gary, Gerry, Gideon, Helen, Henry, Ian, James, Jane E, Jane L, Jason, Jo H, Jo S, John B, John N, Jack, Julia, Justine, J Newton, Kobus, Lee, Lisa, Lizzy, Lulu, Maja, Mario, Matt, Melanie, Mike, Mireille, Nichole, Nick, Nicolas, Nigel, Nuria, N Paine, Paul S, Paul Y, Peter S, Peter T, Quentin, Reino, Rob, Roger, Rory, Rozy, Rushane, Ruth, R Woods, Sally B, Sally P, Sarah, Shelley, Steve, Susan, S Law, Theo, Tim G, Tim H, Tom and William