80 New Trees, 140 bags of rubbish removed; Bow Creek is looking a lot tidier!
Date Published: 11/03/2009
Thirty-eight volunteers cleared away 140 bags of rubbish and planted 80 new trees (including hawthorn, silver birch and lime) to enhance the area around the Bow Creek Ecology Park last weekend.
The work was organised by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority, who own the Ecology Park, with the intention of sprucing up the neighbourhood, getting people involved in their local area and helping to build pride in their neighbourhood! Support from the local branch of Tesco came in the form of providing a free lunch for volunteers.
The Big Tidy Up is supported by Clean-UP UK and their Chief Executive, George Monck, was on site to help out and at the end of the day had only praise for the volunteers and Lee Valley Regional Park Authority staff; saying: “I am feeling a healthy mixture of weariness after a few hours' exertion and exhilaration at your achievement today. Thank you so much for your fantastic efforts. It really was a wonderfully successful day. 140 bags of rubbish is a pretty impressive haul! What added to the brilliant atmosphere of the day was the lovely, relaxed way in which the staff of the Park went about the tasks – once again thank-you.”
Ges Hoddinott, the Lee Valley Regional Park ranger responsible for Bow Creek, added: “Many hands make light work – and that is quite clearly true by the amount that was done today. I would like to say, on behalf of the Regional Park, a big thank-you to everybody who turned up and helped."
In May this year Bow Creek Ecology Park will be celebrating three years as a part of the Lee Valley Regional Park and on Saturday April 11th (Easter Saturday), there will be an Easter Bunny Hunt nature trail for all the family with pond dipping, quizzes and bug hunting from 11.00 to 15.00.
The Lee Valley Regional Park has lots of opportunities for volunteers at its wide range of facilities, if you are interested or want to know more visit: www.leevalleypark.org.uk and select “volunteers” or alternatively call the Information Centre on 08456 770 600.
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For more information, interviews and photographs; contact Neal Grant, Lee Valley Regional Park Authority on 01992 709830, (M) 07785 303718, (E) ngrant@leevalleypark.org.uk
Lee Valley Regional Park stretches 26 miles along the course of the River Lee from Ware in Hertfordshire to East India Dock Basin on the Thames. The Park’s 10,000 acres comprises of a mix of heritage sites, nature reserves and open green spaces and sports facilities.
Photographs attached
The volunteers were from the following areas:
Bow
West Ham,
Poplar
Ilford
Plaistow
Enfield
Stratford
Greenhithe, Kent
Islington
Waltham Abbey
Waltham Forest
Hoddesdon
Tottenham
Leyton
Goffs Oak
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