Thames21

THAMES21 WINS AT GREEN GUARDIAN AWARDS!

Thames21

Friday 6 February

Thames21’s Riverkeeper Volunteers in Bexley were the recipients of the prestigious Green Project Award last night at the Green Guardian Awards 2008, held at the IndigO2 in Greenwich.

The awards seek to recognise and celebrate the environmental achievements of people and organisations across southeast London over the past twelve months.

The prize was presented to Ashe Hurst, Thames21’s Riverkeeper Coordinator, by leading environmental photographer Mark Edwards and included £500 of landscaping work by Envirowork Lewisham.

Established in 2005, the Riverkeeper Volunteers give up their time to help make a real difference to the local waterways of Bexley, removing tonnes of rubbish including everything from washing machines to cars, to allow the river to run freely. The Bexley Riverkeeper Volunteer programme is supported by Cory Environmental Trust in Britain, an Environmental Trust funded through the Landfill Communities Fund.

Riverkeeper Volunteers are local people who live and work in Bexley, and usually spend a few hours a week on the river or lending a hand at a clean up. Their duties include reporting litter and grot spots, caring for wildlife habitats, suggesting improvements to the Riverkeeper Coordinator, encouraging the public to respect the river and contributing to monthly monitoring reports around problems of litter, graffiti, dog fouling, vandalism, unlicensed or out of season angling and drug use etc.

As well as organising community clean-ups for people to get involved, the Riverkeeper Volunteers also work with residents, and especially young people, teaching them to appreciate and value the rivers, lakes and canals across Bexley. Part of that education includes teaching people responsible angling, and the Riverkeepers have held a number of sessions, showing people of all ages how to fish properly and how to get the necessary fishing licenses.

Ashe Hurst, Riverkeeper Coordinator, commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled to have our work recognised in this way. This really could not have been achieved had it not been for the hard work and good humour of all the Riverkeeper Volunteers who give up their time to make a difference to the waterways of Bexley. We have already made a real difference to the water quality and appearance of the local waterways, and we hope this recognition will help attract more people to get involved and help improve their local area.“

Angela Haymonds of Cory Environmental Trust in Britain commented: “The Thames21 Riverkeeper Project in Bexley was one of the first projects that CETB funded in Bexley when the Trust launched in 2007 and this fantastic project has really set the standard. The Trust is thrilled that the good works that are being undertaken by local volunteers to make improvements to their community and environment have been recognised with this prestigious award and the Trustees congratulate all those that are involved with the programme.”

Anyone interested in becoming a Riverkeeper Volunteer should contact Ashe Hurst on 07968 805751 or email ashe.hurst@thames21.org.uk

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Media enquiries, images and interviews: please contact James Aldous on 020 7213 0166 or 07827 352675 or james.aldous@thames21.org.uk
Notes to Editors:

Thames21 is an environmental charity (registered number 1103997) working to bring London’s waterways to life. Dirty rivers and canals reduce the quality of life for all, harm and kill wildlife, damage the environment and drive people away from vital open spaces. London’s rivers and canals are precious natural resources providing green spaces for urban communities and habitats for wildlife. Each year, with the help of around 4,000 volunteers, Thames21 removes over 1,000 tonnes of harmful litter from the River Thames, its tributaries and the canal network. www.thames21.org.uk
Thames21 is supported by, and works closely with, the Port of London Authority, Thames Water, Environment Agency, Corporation of London, Encams and British Waterways.
Cory Environmental Trust in Britain has supported the Bexley Riverkeeper Volunteer programme since the beginning of 2008, providing £98,000 in funding to support improvement works carried out by volunteers along with Thames 21 staff on the Cray, Shuttle and Wansunt Rivers. The Trust is funded through the Landfill Communities Fund and supports community projects that are located within ten miles of a landfill site.
Cory Environmental Cory Environmental is one of the UK’s leading waste management, recycling and energy recovery companies, operating across the country and employing over 1,000 people. It provides a wide range of integrated services from street cleansing and municipal waste collection, to recycling, transfer and disposal. Cory’s services have been recognised with a number of awards for sustainable transport, the management of facilities and city cleanliness.

Homepage: www.thames21.org.uk | Contact E-mail: info@thames21.org.uk
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