When the Hertford Union Canal was drained for maintenance work in March 2021 it provided a unique opportunity to discover the plethora of discarded and lost items scattered along the muddy canal bed. It was also perfect time to clean out as much waste as possible, creating a healthier environment for the wildlife which thrives in the canals in London.

Simon Bourne arranged for a group of us to volunteer with the River and Canal Trust https://canalrivertrust.org.uk/
and over the course of 2 days we searched for and removed as much rubbish and plastic pollution as possible. We inevitably found some very strange objects too. You wouldn't believe what could end up at the bottom of a canal!

If you are interested in volunteering with the Canal and River Trust, they would be delighted to hear from you. We had the greatest fun whilst doing something extremely useful and valuable for the community. There was a varied and eclectic load of objects to be found. Some older and some modern. It's shocking how much rubbish and plastic we removed from the canal and it is sad to see coots and moorhens actually building their nests from it.

Whilst on the Hertford Union Canal towpath I met Nick Crook and Bronte Phelps of Boardies who were collecting plastic. They had collected 3.5 bags in plastic in less than an hour. They talked about the range of swimwear that Boardies are making in collaboration with Raeburn, out of plastic bottles. You can find the info here:
https://www.raeburndesign.co.uk/pages...

I hope you enjoy this video. Comments and feedback welcome and if you wish to treat me to a virtual cup of earl grey tea you can find my site here:
https://kofi.com/nicolawhitetidelineart
All donations are very welcome!

Thank you for watching everyone.
Love Nicola

Nicola White
www.tidelineart.com

#nicolawhitemudlark #mudlarking #drainedcanal