Sign up to be Litter Heroes with Thames21’s events for Great British Spring Clean

Thames21 and our volunteer groups are giving you the chance to get involved with the Great British Spring Clean, which runs from March 2-4 – so why not join in? 

As part of the national campaign run by Keep Britain Tidy, in which people are encouraged to become “Litter Heroes”, London’s leading waterways charity has a range of events for the capital’s residents to help rid rivers of rubbish.

**WEATHER WARNING: Please check the event link before setting out to see if the event is still on and call the event organiser if you have any doubts. Some events will be rearranged and Keep Britain Tidy will be count any events rearranged until March 26 as part of the campaign. Keep an eye on our events listing page for details.**

Activities being put on include those by our Badged Groups, who have passed our accredited Leading a Waterway Clean Up training course and have set up their own groups. They carry out regular clean-ups, supported by us.

While our flagship activity for the weekend is our Big Count at Hammersmith on Saturday, March 3, this has had to be postponed because of the weather.

Volunteers who have set up a group at the Concrete Barges site in Rainham (pictured right) have also had to postpone their event. They been making quite a splash, collecting thousands of plastic bottles  and other rubbish there since setting up the group in early autumn 2017. However, the Stonebridge Lock Coalition intend to go ahead with their event on Tottenham Marshes on Saturday. Please keep an eye on the listing through the weblink below in case it is called off, or follow their Twitter handle @StonebridgeLock for updates.  

On top of the ones open to the volunteers, Coca-Cola, one of the sponsors of the Great British Spring Clean, have booked two of our Corporate Volunteering packages, one in West London and the other on the Fray’s River in Uxbridge.

These popular corporate partnership sessions can be tailored to meet the needs of the companies and organisations who want to make a difference to the environment. For more information on these corporate days, visit our dedicated webpage.

Here’s the full list of our volunteering opportunities, with a link to our events pages for each one:

Friday, March 2, 9.30am to 1pm Lower Mardyke River, Purfleet

Clear rubbish from the Mardyke with our staff member Lawrence Beale Collins, meeting at the Ball Park in Spider Field. EVENT POSTPONED

Saturday March 3, 9.30am to 1.30pm, Concrete Barges, Rainham

Join one of our Badged Groups at this heritage site on the Thames Estuary, where huge amounts of litter is washed up on the salt marshes. EVENT POSTPONED

Saturday Marsh 3 10am to 2pm, Headstone Manor, Harrow

Join Vic Richardson for one of our regular Yeading Brook conservation days at Headstone Manor.

Saturday March 3, 10am to 1pm, the Big Count, at Hammersmith

Thames21 will lead gathering crucial data on the mysterious mounds that are formed by litter at Hammersmith foreshore. (Currently fully booked) EVENT POSTPONED

Saturday March 3, 10am to 2pm, Tottenham Marshes

Join the Stonebridge Lock Coalition, one of our Badged Groups, who will be joined by Canal and River Trust and the Lee Valley Regional Park group. Intending to go ahead.

Saturday March 3, 10am to 1pm, Tilbury

Join Thames21’s local Badged Group of volunteers in Tilbury, working along the Thames Estuary Path past the Fort. Meet in the World’s End pub car park on Fort Road, Tilbury. EVENT POSTPONED. New date March 17

Sunday March 4, Grays Beach, Thurrock, 10am to noon or 1-3pm

Join our Badged Group The Grays Beachcomers along Grays Beach or at the Wharf Hotel (afternoon). EVENT POSTPONED. New date March 11

Sunday March 4, Sutcliffe Park

Join Lawrence Beale-Collins from Thames21 at Sutcliffe Park in Greenwich for a clean up to make the river in the park a better place for nature to thrive. Intending to go ahead.