26 Mile 'Brentathon' Raises Money for Water Quality Testing

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Anti-pollution campaigners walk length of River Brent

The walkers at the Welsh Harp. Picture: Danielle Levene

July 2, 2024

A group of anti-pollution campaigners has walked the entire length of the River Brent to raise money for scientific water quality testing. The 26-mile walk, dubbed ‘The Brentathon’, took the team from the river’s source in Barnet to where it joins the Thames at Brentford.

The walk was organised by campaign group Clean Up the River Brent (CURB) and the Brent River Park charity, working with the Dollis Brookers and Friends of the Welsh Harp. Citizen scientists from CURB have developed low-cost devices for detecting pollution in the River Brent. The Brent Monitoring project was featured on the Sky News Climate Show in September 2023. This fundraising walk will enable CURB to continue its work with other environmental groups who share their concerns about the health of the river. Access to high quality, professional, laboratory testing will enable them to pinpoint the location and nature of the pollutants entering the river and holder polluters to account.

The route took the group through the woodlands, meadows and ponds of the Dollis valley, past Brent Cross shopping centre, under and over motorways and railways, to the Welsh Harp reservoir. Here they were joined by walkers who had followed the course of the Deans, Edgware and Burnt Oak brooks and then the Silk Stream. After a break at the Phoenix Canoe club the walkers continued to trace the river through parks, industrial areas and alongside dual carriageways before stopping at the world famous Ace Café. They continued through golf courses and the water meadows of the Brent River Park then past locks and weirs on the Grand Union Canal until they reached the Thames at Brentford more than 12 hours later.

As with many of Britain’s water courses, pollution is now so serious in the Brent that it has been described as a ‘sick river’. Road run-off, sewage overflows during heavy rain, and misconnections from homes and businesses get washed into the river’s vital ecosystem.

A pollution monitor in the River Brent. Picture: Ben Morris

Brent River Park trustee and CURB founder Ben Morris said, “The Brent is beautiful but badly polluted, and we need your help to do something about it. We already have our pioneering homemade Brent Monitoring Network, providing live data on the state of the river. We already know there are several sewage outlets that dispose of 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 humans who come into contact with the river are in danger.

“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 are asking people to help us stand up for this vital waterway and hold those who are damaging it to account.”

The campaigners emphasised that, with government bodies now severely under resourced, it is increasingly left up to volunteers to monitor the state of the rivers. As Ben concluded, “We are working together to bring the Brent back to good health. There are many challenges ahead of us, and we need and appreciate all the support we can get. Every £20 we raise helps us to help the river fight back.”

So far, the appeal has raised over £2000. The campaigners are asking people to continue to donate via the JustGiving Page which remains open.

For more information on CURB, and to volunteer, visit their page on the Brent River Park website. Follow them on Twitter / X @BrentPollution, or join them on Facebook at CURB – Clean Up the River Brent.

To become a free member of the Brent River Park charity, stay up-to-date and find out more about the Brent River Park visit its website.

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