It was litter picking with a difference at the Tidal Crane Association’s Annual River Celebration Day on Saturday 16th June.
Supported by Thames 21 with waders, equipment and in the person of T21’s Chris Coode the event began with coffee and a briefing in a riverside garden, followed by a Litter Pick on the river bed of the tidal Crane and River Dipping for children.
While volunteers removed objects large and small from the river bed, starting with a wide-screen TV (!) they were treated to highlights of tidal Crane history heritage. Did you the Crane featured in ‘Only Fools and Horses’? That it was a popular bathing place in the 1930s? Or that this stretch of river was the cradle of UK Skiffle and rock ‘n roll?
At this point the volunteers took a break from littler picking to hear about the Crane River Jazz Band and join in a rendition of Down By the Riverside, a skiffle favourite.
The River Dipping showcased the exceptional biodiversity of the tidal Crane and, with the help of Thames 21’s nets, magnifiers and observation trays children saw crabs, an eel, fish and other exciting catches close-up as well as enjoying the pleasure of splashing in the river on a hot day.
In total 51 volunteers took part, including 11 children.
16 bags of rubbish were collected during the litter pick, plus a number of larger items.
This was the Tidal Crane Association’s 41st annual event, the first having taken place in 1977 and it is believed to be London’s oldest river friends’ group.
A gallery of photos from the event can be seen here (5 pages).