Grundon takes the plunge with support for river clean-up

Grundon is playing an important part in helping to clean up the River Colne in Watford.

The ten-year restoration project, led by environment and community charity Groundwork East together with Watford Borough Council, is working to change the inaccessible and neglected river into a valuable wildlife habitat and community resource.

Grundon recently donated £20,000 to support work carried out on the part of the river near Knutsford Playing Fields, a popular location for local residents that includes a rugby field, outdoor Green Gym space and a viewing platform over the river.

“Biodiversity projects such as this play an important role in maintaining our countryside, both for today and for future generations. We are thrilled to provide valuable funding and look forward to seeing how the river and wildlife habitats are transformed for the better in years to come.”

Kirsti Santer

Head of Marketing & Communications at Grundon

Since then, further work has been taking place to restore a pond and reconnect it to the river near the Timberlake allotments. There, Groundwork East and a team of volunteers are working in the river to create a series of low banks and flow deflectors to replicate natural bends, slowing down the flow of the water, and also planting raised banks with native flowers to enhance biodiversity and attract wildlife.

Grundon’s donation was made via the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) and distributed by community and environmental charity Groundwork South, a sister organisation to Groundwork East. The project is one of several community and environmental programmes that Grundon supports.