Where creativity inspires Community Action. The Wandle: A River at Risk
I spoke to Councillor Andrew Jenner about the film he produced, The Wandle: A River at Risk alongside Matt Peasrson, the Director/Editor, cameraman Shane Appleton and Bobby Dean, MP for Carshalton and Wallington. We had held a screening with a Q&A with the cast and crew at last year’s UK River Summit when Bobby had not been elected as an MP and was the Liberal Democrat candidate for his constituency and had grown to love the river from walking his dog there every day.
Our conversation once again reinforced one of the fundamental beliefs of The River Summit and Festival that art and culture intersect with environmental action and can often be the route by which people find the joy in caring for their local environments.
Bobby Dean interviewing John Hawks, a local historian
“The issues facing a precious chalk stream in our area were causing grave concerns. Using our creative skills we told a story ‘Wandle: River at Risk’ that brought together the community. A community with a wide range of demographics but also a love of the area they live in. We didn’t have the answers in the film. We just spoke to people with knowledge, people who used and cared for the river. And the story unfolded. And we were able to bring our audience together with a final call to action that didn’t alienate them with over politicisation. And as a politician, I found on the doorstep a great enthusiasm for seeing the film. No one was negative. And a lot of people, if they hadn’t seen the film, had heard about it, leading to further interest in watching the film. Everyone, yes everyone was very supportive. And it also galvanised a lot of people in that audience to volunteer on projects along the Wandle.
The film was more successful than we could have imagined when we set off. And proved to us that actively not seeking to be party political, we have brought people together who want to help, to contribute to improving the health of our local chalk stream.”
Bobby Dean and Amie Battams, Fly Fisherwoman
“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it.”
We are looking forward to welcoming Bobby Dean and Andrew Jenner to the UK River Summit once again this year.