Richmond/Kingston Thames Riverside Tidy - Saturday April 27th

The greenspace on the Surrey side (south bank) of the River Thames just upstream of Teddington Lock is perhaps the area's version of the DMZ, where an uneasy truce exists between the two borough councils. It's quite humorous that the dividing line is marked by the different grass mowing regimes and a different emphasis on street furniture along Burnell Avenue (Richmond TW10) and Dysart Avenue (Kingston KT2).
Hoping to inject some soft power into relations, the Environment Trust's Kingston Greenspace Volunteers teamed up with some of our Richmond-based regulars to hold a cross-border riverside tidy. We'd been asked by Kingston Council to trim bushes over-hanging the path and obscuring views across the Thames to ensure that this popular riverside path continues to be a safe and enjoyable place for locals and visitors to walk.
Starting by the river at Lower Ham Road in Kingston, our group walked downstream to Teddington Lock before retracing our steps back across the border into Kingston, pruning vegetation and clearing litter as we went. We were careful not to get too carried away for fear of disturbing nesting birds. There was also a surprising amount of rubbish lurking in the bushes, including a full jerry can of diesel labelled as belonging to the Albany Park Sailing Centre, that had presumably been purloined late one evening by someone after a visit to a local hostelry. The can was returned to the centre by one of our volunteers who happens to coach at the centre, thus preventing it from possibly ending up in the Thames and creating a horrible pollution incident. The boys from Tower House School joined us for the morning's skirmish, and did an excellent job clearing vegetation, including around the boundary marker. Another victory for the diplomatic skills of the Environment Trust's volunteers, for the local communities on both sides of the border, and a return to normal borough to borough relations.

A view of the Thames looking upstream towards Kingston Bridge. 

The point at which Dysart Ave. (Kingston) ends, and Burnell Ave. (Richmond) begins.

Volunteers immersed in their work trimming over-hanging vegetation. 

The missing bollard was found 100 metres along the path and was reinstated to fill a dangerously deep hole.

Boys from Tower House School in front of the Richmond/Kingston border stone, armed and ready to go into battle along the DMZ.

As the moon appears over Kingston (April 25th), common pipistrelle bats were spotted feeding on swarming insects.