Vote for an Award for this brilliant film about cleaning up our River Brent

 

A film made by local volunteers CURB (Clean up River Brent) has been entered for the Smiley Charity Film Awards (The Smileys). The awards support over 5,000 charities and engage over 1 million individuals through voting. The films spread the message, gets more volunteers involved and help to fund raise.

The playful factual film highlights pollution on the River Brent is set to Schubert's "Trout Quintet". A homegrown project assembled from footage taken by volunteers on the Brent.

Ben Morris, Director of CURB, said:

I was out with my dog in the Pitshanger Park in October 2021 when I noticed the Brent had turned a foul-smelling grey. A blocked sewer had overflowed filling the river with human waste and detergent. I was inspired to found Clean up the River Brent (CURB) and with many volunteers we have since removed over 100 tonnes of rubbish, planted 1000s of plants, and campaigned to prevent further pollution of the river. 

When (producer) Jon Rowe came to me asking if I had any film concepts to highlight the abuse of the river and create a clarion call for change, I knew I had the bones of an idea for a queasy yet playful short film to be made out of the thousands of photos and videos we had taken of the Brent over the years, showing both its beauty and its horror. So with the help of the very talented (director) Lisa Robson we put together what we hope can be both a warning shot about the state of our rivers and a call to arms to demand and embody change in our communities. 

Anyone can become a River Guardian. 

Follow this link to vote for 'The River Remembers (What We Forget)' LINK

 

Volunteers in buckets for Brent River Catchment pollution project - hoping to start work tomorrow

 

Some of the volunteer 'samplers' at Imperial College Training Session

Teams of volunteers have been anxiously watching for rain during this dry period - not for the allotment or garden, but to get started on one on the biggest hands-on outdoor citizenship science projects of its kind.

The  Brent River Run-off project is a partnership between  CURB (Clean Up the River Brent), Brent Catchment Partnership (Thames 21) and Imperial College.

The project needs heavy rain to cause 'run-off' from roads and other pollution sources into the River Brent, Mutton Brook, Silk Stream, Wembley Brook, Wealdstone Brook and other tributaries.  Volunteers will be positioned along the waters to dip buckets ino the water to take samples, preferably before, during and after the rains.

These will be transferred into bottles, labelled and taken to local freezers before being collected by Imperial College for analysis in their highly advanced labs.

At present it looks as if the rains may come at dawn tomorrow so look out for volunteers in high viz dangling buckets from bridges and footways as you go off to work or enjoy your breakfast.

Volunteers will be positioned all the way from Edgware to Brentford where the Brent joins the Thames.