Nineteen people turned up for our walk along the Wealdstone Brook and River Brent, looking at the way this natural feature had been built upon and hidden, and highlighting the possible danger of flooding as climate change continues.
Martin Francis pointed out the route of the waterways, sometimes hidden under high tower blocks, with further development ongoing. Some parts of the walk took us through harsh concrete landscapes, some through much more pleasant environments, with well-used open spaces and some attractive meadowland (though in some places it was apparent that the invasive Japanese Knotweed still posed a threat).
The group paused at the pleasant shingle riverbank, where people made paper boats, which were adorned with messages about climate change, and launched into the water. Martin was also on hand to catch the boats downstream in his nets. Other boats made by Cllr Janice Long and Ruth Kitching, will be sent to Glasgow to be incorporated into an installation to be erected outside the COP26 meetings.
A more detailed account of the walk and issues behind it can be found on Martin's blog here.
Photos below are by Barney Laurance:
