River Restoration at Morden Hall Park – River Wandle

Tag: Wandle

River Restoration at Morden Hall Park – River Wandle

Working closely with landowners the National Trust, the South East Rivers Trust will be working to improve river habitats along the Wandle as it flows through Morden Hall Park.

This restoration work builds on the work previously delivered in 2015 and 2020, 2022 and 2023 which provided valuable refuge habitat for small fish fry and helped kick start natural processes.

This project aims to increase habitat diversity to support a wider range of wildlife, it’s a fantastic opportunity to help restore your local river for the benefit of nature!

All tools and equipment, inc. steel toe waders and gloves will be provided.

Meeting point: 

We will be meeting in Morden Hall Park, exact location will be shared in advance of the event.

There is paid parking available (free for NT members) at Morden Hall Park.

What to bring: 

We will provide tea, coffee and biscuits but please bring a packed lunch and plenty of water.

Please dress appropriately and wear sturdy shoes or wellies.

BOOKING ESSENTIAL – please RSVP using the button below and complete the form to secure your spot.

Booking for this event will close at 5pm on Sunday 27th October.

Minimum age 16 years old, unaccompanied 16 and 17 year old’s will need written parental consent. Please email volunteering@staging.southeastriverstrust.org for more information.

Please email volunteering@staging.southeastriverstrust.org to:

  • Find out more information,
  • Cancel your space if you can no longer make it,
  • Submit parental consent for unaccompanied16 &17 year old’s.

To read our Health and Safety Guidelines for this event please click HERE.

Photos and video footage will be taken at this event and used by the Trust for promotional purposes (including but not limited to printed materials, social media, newsletters and the website) and potentially shared with our external partners and funders. From time to time, external media agencies could also take photos, film or record our events.

The Trust’s lawful basis for processing this is “Legitimate Interests” under the General Data Protection Regulations. As an individual you have rights. If you wish for SERT to stop processing this data for you, please talk to a member of staff or email info@staging.southeastriverstrust.org.

To read our Privacy Policy and see how we use and look after the information you provide when booking your spot at our events please click HERE.

London Rivers Week 2024

Posted on by Polly

Last week, we celebrated London Rivers Week by hosting four local events on our South London rivers, with 90 volunteers joining us to make a positive impact.

What is London Rivers Week?

London Rivers Week is an annual campaign that inspires the public to celebrate all of London’s rivers and the various projects that protect them. This year’s theme, “London is a River City,” focused on health, well-being, and cultural activities. Now in its eighth year, London Rivers Week continues to grow, uniting partners and communities to celebrate the abundance of rivers and waterways in London.

Cleaning up the Wandle

Cleaning the Wandle for London Rivers Week 2024

Volunteers from near and far joined us to clean up the River Wandle in Poulter Park. Their fantastic efforts resulted in the removal of a significant amount of rubbish, including tyres, a push bike, pots and pans, a huge sign, a few shoes, and some very gross cushions. A big thank you to Sutton Council for arranging rubbish removal and to Tooting and Mitcham Community Sports Club for letting us use their facilities!

Showcasing restoration on the Beverley Brook

We gave a tour along the Beverley Brook from Richmond Park to Wimbledon Common (and back again!) to learn about the history, ecology and river restoration work of the Beverley Brook. In 2015, we partnered with The Royal Parks to rehabilitate over 600m of the Beverley Brook through Richmond Park and improve the water quality of the river by implementing both engineered and nature-based solutions. This is one of our flagship projects and we love sharing it with the community and local partners – you can read more about it here!

Family fun at Elmbridge Meadows Community Day

Family Fun At Elmbridge Meadows Community Day

A fun-filled family day was the perfect opportunity for residents to find out how our Enriching Elmbridge Meadows project will re-naturalise 1km of the Hogsmill River. Our information stall gave more information on the river and the project, children enjoyed our craft activities and a small group got into the river in the afternoon to pull up the invasive plant, Himalayan Balsam. Some of our wonderful riverfly volunteers, who carry out monthly monitoring of river invertebrates, kindly gave their time to help collect river dipping samples and people of all ages took delight in seeing what actually lives in the river.

Bashing balsam on the Hogsmill Chalk Stream

We had an amazing turnout for a balsam bash on the Hogsmill with local volunteers joined by the Kingston Ramblers.

Balsam bashing on the Hogsmill River

Himalayan balsam is a big problem for river banks up and down the country. In addition to competition for pollinators, native plants must also compete for light, nutrients and space, leading to an overall reduction in native biodiversity. Moreover, the fact that the balsam dies back in the winter means that it leaves river banks bare and susceptible to erosion, and the dead leaves and stems can also cause blockages, which can lead to flooding.

What’s more, each plant can produce up to 800 seeds per year – and one plant can propel copious amounts of that seed a distance of up to seven metres!

We’re working with local partners to tackle balsam on the Hogsmill, planning events to eradicate the upstream source first and work downstream. We have also trialed biological control as part of the wider Enriching Elmbridge Meadows Project.

London Rivers Week is organised for the River Partnerships in London (RiPL) via the London Rivers Week steering group.  The principal organisations running London Rivers Week are the Environment Agency, Thames21, the South East Rivers Trust, London Wildlife Trust, ZSL, CPRE London, and the Thames Estuary Partnership. In addition to these organisations, many other groups run and contribute to events, walks, talks and seminars to demonstrate the value of rivers.

Another great year for the event, and we look forward to London Rivers Week 2025!

Cast your vote at Tesco to help us educate children on the Mole

Posted on by Ian Lamont

Shoppers at selected Tesco stores in Horley and Dorking can vote to support the South East Rivers Trust’s (SERT) programme to connect local children with the River Mole and its wildlife.

SERT’s school sessions bring children to their local river to spend time in nature and learn about the local wildlife – all while meeting the school’s needs for the curriculum.

Children explore what's in the river and record their findings in a session led by the South East Rivers Trust on the River Mole © SERT
Children learn about what’s in the river at a South East Rivers Trust session on the River Mole © SERT

Studies show that children who are connected to nature are happier, healthier and more motivated to learn – and feedback on our sessions shows the power of outdoor education.

One teacher said: “The session was a fantastic way to introduce the children to our rivers topic, the delivery and the content was engaging and the children had an absolute blast!”

A pupil added: “I loved making a promise to make sure that the river will keep flowing and not dry up!”

Polly Penn, Head of Working with Communities at the South East Rivers Trust, said: “We are delighted to have been chosen as a Tesco Stronger Starts community project because we know from our education sessions that children love the chance to visit the river. They are always inspired by being able to see for themselves the creatures they have learned about in the classroom.

“Our aim is that this and our lessons about how to use water wisely in their daily lives will instil lifelong habits – and might even inspire some of them to become scientists in the future. We hope shoppers will take this opportunity to support our work.”

Customer votes will decide how three chosen charities will receive awards of £500, £1,000 or £1,500.

The three stores where customers can vote for SERT, between mid-January and the end of March 2024, are:

  • Tesco Gatwick Extra, Reigate Road, Horley RH6 0AT
  • Tesco Express, Brighton Road, Horley RH6 7HL
  • Tesco Express, Reigate Road, Dorking RH4 1QB

Tesco’s Stronger Starts – previously known as Tesco Community Grants – has already provided more than £110 million to 60,000 projects across Britain.

Children explore what's in the river and record their findings in a session led by the South East Rivers Trust
Children explore what’s in the river and record their findings in a session led by the South East Rivers Trust © SERT

This £5m Stronger Starts grant programme, delivered in partnership with Groundwork UK, helps schools and children’s groups provide nutritious food and healthy activities that support young people’s physical health and mental wellbeing, such as breakfast clubs or snacks, and sports equipment for after school clubs.

Claire de Silva, Tesco UK Head of Communities and Local Media, said: “Helping schools and children’s groups access the food and resources they need is vitally important in getting children a stronger start in life. Children with enough food have more energy, better concentration, and ultimately achieve more too.”

Graham Duxbury, Groundwork’s UK Chief Executive, said: “As a community charity, we have seen first-hand how schools and other groups supporting young people have been playing a much bigger role in ensuring children are getting a healthy start to the day and getting access to spaces and services to support physical activity and mental health. Family budgets are tight and school budgets are tight, but it’s so important that children stay fed, fit and focused, so we’re delighted to be able to prioritise these activities alongside Tesco with the Stronger Starts programme.”

Funding is available to community groups and charities looking to fund local projects that bring benefits to communities, particularly those helping to provide food and giving children the support they need for a good start in life.

 

SuDS not floods – pass it on!

Posted on by Ian Lamont

The South East Rivers Trust has been working with Sutton Council to deliver a SuDS in Schools project in Carshalton. Delivering a sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) project has been a new and valuable experience for the Trust.

Timing could not have been better for this SuDS project.  Along with all the extreme weather events around the world that have been in the news, closer to home flash flooding has hit the headlines.  Not only does this demonstrate the urgent need to address surface water flooding, but it has brought the issue to the public’s attention.  It is the perfect chance to capitalise on the growing awareness of climate change and interest in environmental issues to get SuDS on the public agenda.

For more information on SuDS, click here.