Our Secret River Sweepers
A group of volunteers and ‘citizen scientists’ working to clean up the Clitterhouse Brook and bring back its wildlife.
Who are we?
We’re a group of volunteers who are working to restore nature in our small corner of London by improving the health of an important freshwater ecosystem, the Clitterhouse Brook.
We invite different speakers to the Sunday events to discuss the river, biodiversity, local history and more. Watch out on our socials for the confirmed speakers.
Join us
We meet on the first Sunday of each month to clear the river of rubbish, removing the physical pollutants and to test its chemical and biological health, and also to meet other lovely people and spend time outdoors.
Meet at the Our Yard Café at 11:30, bring wellies and waterproofs. Free coffee, tea and cake, and also get 20% off at the café for all volunteers.
WHY?
We started this project in April 2025 with small groups of volunteers doing weekly litter picks of the stream, it was heavily littered and largely forgotten - we wanted to change that and restore it to a clean, safe space for wildlife and humans.
In the summer of 2025 we received a small grant from Thames21 via their Community Empower programme for the purchase of equipment for our litterpicks along with training in citizen science methods and equipment for monitoring the biological and chemical health of the river. During our first session sampling the river we detected a live sewage discharge and reported it to the Environment Agency.
IMPACT
Despite the pollution, (both physical and chemical) there are signs of improvement in the brook, and we have found different invertebrate species living there including river shrimp and the caddis fly, an important bioindicator species. These findings make us feel more confident that cleaning up the site could really help improve the stream’s wildlife. We believe that continued community monitoring and removal of pollutants will directly benefit aquatic invertebrates, birds and bats that rely on this freshwater corridor.
FUTURE PLANS
We’re working on bigger restoration plans, in particular removing the concrete revetments along the brook and restoring the natural riverbank habitat. There is a huge amount of development happening in the Brent Cross Town area, including in the playing fields and we want to use this opportunity to insist on space for nature being included in the plans. We’re calling for the creation of a small wetland along the length of the brook, via a community led restoration and rewilding project.
Wetlands are the most productive habitats on earth and a haven for wildlife. Our vision is for a restored freshwater habitat that benefits nature and our community, accessible to everyone. Wetlands are a fantastic place for children to learn about ecosystems, freshwater and biodiversity and for people of all ages to connect with nature.
Please join us in supporting a rich, thriving habitat that supports wildlife, manages water naturally, and provides a beautiful space for local people.
First Sunday of each month - Everyone is welcome!
If we’ve convinced you - please join us, come down on the first Sunday of the month. We meet at 11.30am in Our Yard’s café, bring wellies and waterproofs.
Free coffee, tea and cake for all (regardless of how much river cleaning there is) and 20% off in the café for all river clean up volunteers on the day.
Under 16 year olds must be with responsible adult for the river clean up part of the day, but we are family and dog friendly!
Check Our Yard’s Instagram for updates of upcoming meet ups, if you have any specific questions about the project you can contact us on wildrootsoutdoorlearning@gmail.com.