Access to nature and climate resilience remain as core themes for London Rivers Week 2022, but this year there will be an additional focus on ‘Natural Recovery’. The wildlife we see around us tells a story about our relationship with nature, the successes, and failures and what is being done to improve nature – particularly that associated with rivers and wetlands - across London. LRW 2022 will shine a light on these stories and facilitate discussion on what is needed to bring nature back to London.
CPRE London’s programme of events for this week is below:
Lost rivers club
Tuesday, 12th July, CPRE London, Cowcross Street at 6.30pm
Tom Bolton, lost river walker and writer, talks to three leading thinkers on London’s rivers:
- composer and novelist, Kerry Andrew
- poet, publisher, and the author, Tom Chivers and,
- urban designer and researcher, Akil Scafe-Smith.
They’ll talk about the role that water plays in our perception and experience of London – as a transformative force, with the power to change places, change people and change our environment.
Find out more and book your ticket for the Lost Rivers Club on Eventbrite
Expert panel event: Natural recovery of rivers and wetlands
Wednesday, 13th July, CPRE London, Cowcross Street at 6.30pm
Join us for this Q&A with experts who will discuss the importance of rewilding and answer your questions. Ian Russell from the London Borough of Enfield will tell us about their exciting rewilding scheme. Lucy Shuker, Independent Environmental Advisor and Honorary Research Fellow at Queen Mary, University of London, will share her thoughts on process-led river restoration. And Dave Webb, Chair of the London River Restoration Group, will talk about river restoration and climate change adaptation.
Walk along the River Brent
Thursday, 14th July, meeting at Gurnell Leisure Centre at 6pm, or for shorter walk, at Fox Inn in Hanwell at 8pm
Walk along the River Brent and learn more about river restoration work in the area, including local efforts to create important new wetland habitats, plant native aquatic plants, and help the river meander more naturally in its channel. Spend time with like-minded nature lovers, discover more about these exciting projects and find out how you can get involved. And also, simply spend time with us enjoying all the wonderful wildlife the Brent River supports! Dragonfly spotting, shy moorhens, coots with their amazing big blue feet and maybe the blue flash of a kingfisher if we are lucky on the day!
More information and book your ticket for Walk along the River Brent on Eventbrite
Meander along the River Quaggy
Friday, 15th July, meeting at Lewisham Station, 6pm
The River Quaggy is an urban river that runs through a surprising amount of green space, including the three parks we’ll visit. It’s one of the UK’s most heavily engineered rivers, and during the walk we’ll hear about the extraordinary work that has been put into its restoration and rewilding. This has included removing concrete channels and recreating flood plains, and even freeing the Quaggy from under the ground and letting it wind its way in Sutcliffe park. The ongoing restoration of the Quaggy is a success story for local action.
More about the Creative Meander along River Quaggy and book your tickets on Eventbrite
Discover the lost world of the River Roding
Sunday, 17th July, meeting at Ilford Station at 2pm
Discover the enchantments of the River Roding by taking this walk led by Paul Powlesland who will guide us along a path which has been largely inaccessible for 40 years – which he is helping to open up with volunteers from the Friends of the River Roding – restoring an ancient right of way.
More details and book your free place on Eventbrite
Places will fill quickly for our London Rivers Week events so please book early to avoid disappointment.
PictureBlueLondon photo competition
To mark London Rivers Week 2022 (11 July – 17 July), CPRE London is launching its annual photography competition to promote the importance of the waterways at the heart of our natural and social ecosystems. Increasingly more people are seeing the value of London’s historic rivers, lakes, ponds, canals, and wetlands, to connect to nature, as a source of recreation or simply a moment of escapism.
#PictureBlueLondon aims to inspire Londoners who cherish the natural wonders on their doorstep and beyond.
Entrants are encouraged to submit images under three categories:
- Community and conservation: rivers connect communities in many ways, bringing people together to interact with, protect, and preserve London’s waterways.
- Nature and wildlife: home to flora, fauna, and creatures great and small; the natural wonder of London’s blue spaces is a sight to behold.
- In motion: whether walking, cycling, swimming, or kayaking, these ever-flowing waterbodies keep Londoners on the move.
For further details see here
