Funding poured into seven Thames environmental projects

This year’s Thames Environment Fund, in its third year of funding, has been doubled to £50,000, with each maximum grant tripled to £15,000.

The PLA welcomed a wide variety of applications from community groups, charities, NGOs, academic institutions and other not-for-profit organisations, which applied for grants for environmental projects representing different parts of the river as well as an array of environmental goals, including energy transition to electric, litter clearance, and microplastic filtration.

Following a comprehensive review and assessment of all the applicants, the successful Thames Environmental Fund projects are:

1. Greenwich Yacht Club for the purchase, installation and testing of three electric outboard boat motors, as well as an outreach initiative to educate members and the community about the benefits of electric outboards. Award total: £14,355.45
2. Fulham Reach Boat Club for their plan to engage participants in regular litter-picking sessions and use weekly water quality testing to educate people on river pollution and collect a reliable dataset. Award total: £2,000.00
3. South Dock Marina Berth Holders Association for their project that aims to extend the flora introduction in the Greenland Dock Lock Area. With the addition of eight, two-metre square floating planter sections to adjoin the existing line of five, they will create a reed bed of sufficient density to be self-sustaining. An ‘H’ layout will incorporate sheltered areas for bird life. Award total: £2,500.00
4. University College of London (UCL) for their project to research filtration techniques; collecting microplastics from the river Thames and developing a series of three prototypes to quantify their effectiveness. Award total: £12,500.00
5. London Wildlife Trust for the purchase of essential Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), tools, equipment, and materials for the Isleworth Ait volunteering sessions. The funding will also facilitate contract work required on trees on the reserve and improvements to the landing pontoon on the island to improve access. Award total: £12,130.00
6. Medway Swale Estuary Partnership for their project that aims to undertake 12, monthly litter clean-ups on six sites across the Thames and Medway Swale Estuaries. Award total: £2,250.00
7. Tidey for their project informing groups of students about river pollution and promoting litter-picking, caring for river wildlife, and protecting the river. The project will also involve litter picking events with these students on the foreshore, with data feeding into Thames21’s water pollution database and the PLA’s Cleaning the Thames. Award total: £2,500.00

The PLA’s Director of Sustainability, Grace Rawnsley, said,

“As part of our Thames Vision 2050 strategy, we’re working towards the river between Teddington Lock and the North Sea becoming the cleanest it has been since the Industrial Revolution.

“Our Thames Environment Fund is one of the ways in which we can support different groups along the tidal Thames who share our ambitions to improve the environment and wildlife within it.”