‘Brentathon’ raises money and awareness to keep River Brent clean – EALING.NEWS – The Voice of Ealing 7 towns

A team of anti-pollution campaigners walked the length of the River Brent to raise money for water quality testing.

The 26 mile walk was organized by Clean Up the River Brent (CURB) and Brent River Park charity alongside Dollis Brookers and Friends of the Welsh Harp.

Dubbed ‘The Brentathon’, the 12-hour journey took the team from the source of the river in Barnet to the Thames at Brentford. Along the route, walkers covered the Dollis Valley, the Welsh Harp, Brent River Park and the Grand Union Canal.

Brent River Park manager and CURB founder Ben Morris said: “The Brent is beautiful but very polluted and we need your help to do something about it. We already have the pioneering home-grown Brent monitoring network which provides live data on the state of the river. We already know that there are several sewage points that dump waste directly into the water. But we want to know exactly what’s in the water and where it’s coming from. We are concerned that animals and people who come into contact with the river are at risk.”

He added: “We want to break the silence around the true nature of what’s in the water and the threat it poses to our environment. Most people would agree with the principle that the polluter should pay. The money raised from the Brentathon gives us the means to gather information and build our evidence base. We’re asking people to help us fight for this vital waterway and hold those who damage it accountable.”

Dianne Murphy of Dollis Brookers added: “It is not acceptable to treat our waterways as part of our sewage system or as a convenient place to dump our waste. They are the vital backbone of the green and blue corridors that connect us all to nature. They should be valued and protected for the mental and physical health benefits they provide to people of all ages and the homes and food they provide to our wildlife.”

More than £2,300 has been raised so far and organizers say further donations are welcome and can be made on the JustGiving page.