’FLASH MOB THE FORESHORE’ VOLUNTEER CLEAN-UPS
BEGIN TOMORROW
Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 August
Environmental charity Thames21 will coordinate four FLASH MOB clean-ups of the River Thames foreshore starting tomorrow for the Cleaner Thames Challenge 2009. The exact locations for the FLASH MOB events were kept under-wraps until announced publicly last Thursday. The event will run over four days, in a different location each day.
Volunteers will begin the four day clean-up of the River Thames foreshore in Fulham on Thursday 20 August at 9.15am.
The four locations will be as follows:
DAY ONE: FULHAM, Bishop’s Park.
Meet: at the east entrance of Fulham Palace Gardens (near to Putney Bridge ), off Putney Bridge Approach, SW6. The clean-up will take place on the foreshore in front of Bishop’s Park.
Date: Thursday 20 August
Times: 9.15am – 11.45am
Event Contact: Alice Hall, 07824 692592, alice.hall@thames21.org.uk
Access: access to the foreshore is by steps. Please contact us in advance if you have any special access requirements.
Travel: nearest tube is Putney Bridge (District) and only a short walk from the meeting point.
DAY TWO: FULHAM, Hurlingham Park .
Meet: on Broomhouse Lane , at the east corner of Hurlingham Park , SW6. The clean-up will take place on the foreshore from Hurlingham Wharf to Wandsworth Bridge .
Date: Friday 21 August
Times: 9.45am – 12.15pm
Event contact: James Aldous, 07827 352675, james.aldous@thames21.org.uk
Access: access to the foreshore is by slipway. Please contact us in advance if you have any special access requirements.
Travel: nearest tube is Putney Bridge (District) and is a ten minute walk from the meeting point. Nearest bus stop is Sullivan Court , on Peterborough Road .
DAY THREE: WOOLWICH
Meet: at the end of Venus Road , SE18. The clean-up will take place on the foreshore by New Ferry Approach.
Date: Saturday 22 August
Times: 8.30am – 11.00am
Event contact: Alice Hall, 07824 692592, alice.hall@thames21.org.uk
Access: access to the foreshore is by steps. Please contact us in advance if you have any special access requirements.
Travel: nearest train station is Woolwich Dockyard and is a short walk from the meeting point.
DAY FOUR: ISLE OF DOGS
Meet: at Newcastle Draw Dock, off Saunders Ness Road , E14. The clean-up will take place on the foreshore to the east of this point, across the river from the o2.
Date: Sunday 23 August
Times: 9.30am – 12noon
Event contact: James Aldous, 07827 352675, james.aldous@thames21.org.uk
Access: access to the foreshore is by slipway. Please contact us in advance if you have any special access requirements.
Travel: nearest tube is Island Gardens (DLR) and is a ten minute walk from the meeting point.
The aim of the four days is to help make a cleaner, greener River Thames foreshore and remove as much litter as possible that affect these visible areas. Volunteers will help remove plastic bags, shopping trolleys, food wrappers, bicycles and all manner of other litter items that end up in rivers.
Those volunteering will not only get the chance to make a practical improvement to London ’s environment, but also the rare chance to get onto the foreshore, meet like-minded people and get a new perspective on London ’s waterways.
Thames21’s River Programmes Manager, Chris Coode, commented:
“The Cleaner Thames Challenge 2009 will be a real pan-London effort. The four different FLASH MOB locations will give people from all over London an ideal chance to get involved in our work and make a lasting improvement to the environment.
All necessary equipment (including wellies) will be provided to volunteers at our clean-up events, just keep tuned to hear the locations when announced on Thursday 13th!”
Thames21 will provide all equipment including boots, health & safety briefing and support, rubbish bags and litter collection. Volunteers should wear old clothes appropriate to the weather. An adult must accompany people under the age of 16.
For more information about Thames21 see www.thames21.org.uk
The Cleaner Thames Challenge 2009:
FLASH MOB THE FORESHORE
Thursday 20 – Sunday 23 August
Locations announced on Thursday 13 August
Environmental charity Thames21 will coordinate four FLASH MOB clean-ups of the River Thames foreshore this August for the Cleaner Thames Challenge 2009. The exact locations for the FLASH MOB events will be kept under-wraps until announced publicly on Thursday 13 August, one week before the clean-ups commence.
Following highly successful Challenges in the previous three years, involving almost one thousands volunteers, Thames21 once again encourage Londoners to take part and help to ‘clean’ the River Thames foreshore.
Unlike previous Challenges which took place only at the Isle of Dogs, this year volunteers will help clean-up four different locations along the River Thames. The four littered locations will stretch across central London from East to West and each clean-up will last no more than three hours.
The aim of the four days is to help make a cleaner, greener River Thames foreshore and remove as much litter as possible that affect these visible areas. Volunteers will help remove plastic bags, shopping trolleys, food wrappers, bicycles and all manner of other litter items that end up in rivers.
Those volunteering will not only get the chance to make a practical improvement to London ’s environment, but also the rare chance to get onto the foreshore, meet like-minded people and get a new perspective on London ’s waterways.
Thames21’s River Programmes Manager, Chris Coode, commented:
“The Cleaner Thames Challenge 2009 will be a real pan-London effort. The four different FLASH MOB locations will give people from all over London an ideal chance to get involved in our work and make a lasting improvement to the environment.
All necessary equipment (including wellies) will be provided to volunteers at our clean-up events, just keep tuned to hear the locations when announced on Thursday 13th!”
The locations for the FLASH MOBS will be announced via the Thames21 website (www.thames21.org.uk), Thames21 email newsletter, and through social networking sites Facebook and Twitter.
Those wishing to receive the announcement of the locations should email FLASHMOB@thames21.org.uk
DATES: Thursday 20 August – Sunday 23 August
LOCATIONS: announced on Thursday 13 August
TIMES: mornings
Thames21 will provide all equipment including boots, health & safety briefing and support, rubbish bags and litter collection. Volunteers should wear old clothes appropriate to the weather. An adult must accompany people under the age of 16.
For more information about Thames21 see www.thames21.org.uk
A Charlton resident has scooped top prize in the first Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice Lottery draw.
Christina Grantham, 78, won £1000 in the first draw, which was held on Friday, July 31.
She said: “This is the first time I have ever won anything of this size. It was a surprise when Stacey from the Hospice rang. I like a gamble but I’m not normally lucky. I still can’t quite believe my good fortune! I feel my luck is changing.”
Christina, whose sister was cared for by Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice in 2003, is planning to treat her family with the winnings.
Stacey Booth, Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice’s lottery manager, said: “We are delighted for Christina. She really is a lovely lady and such a worthy first draw winner. She is typical of the fantastic supporters we have in the community who want to give something back.
The Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice Lottery is the lottery that makes everyone a winner. It provides a great way for people to donate to the Hospice – and, at the same time, have the chance of winning a top prize of £1000 every week.”
Anyone over the age of 16 can sign up to the weekly draw at just £2 per week and each week £1500 in prizes will be awarded, with one lucky winner scooping the £1000 jackpot.
Greenwich & Bexley Cottage Hospice provides specialist palliative care to local people suffering with life-threatening illnesses. All of their services to patients and their families are provided free of charge, but this care doesn’t go without cost as it takes approximately £6million to run the Hospice each year. The Hospice offers a wide range of services including a 19 bedded in-patient facility, day care centre, carer support, outreach work, a lymphoedema service, complementary therapy and creative arts helping people to enjoy a better quality of life and enabling them to do things they thought they would never do again.
For more information or to sign up to the lottery, visit cottagehospicelottery.org.uk, email lottery@gbch.org.uk or call the lottery hotline on 0870 085 3779.
Lottery Winner Christina Grantham centre and Hospice Chief Executive Jim Bennett left and lottery manager Stacey Booth right
