A boost of more than £1.4 million has been secured to rejuvenate London’s third longest river and encourage it to be used more by the public.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund has granted Thames21, an environmental charity, the sum to revitalise the River Roding.
The project, called The Roding Rises, will focus on monitoring and improving water quality, enhancing wildlife habitats, and encouraging more public use of the river.
Plans include a series of activities and a grant scheme to involve communities from Essex to east London, where the river flows through.
Chris Coode, Thames21's chief executive, said: "This project will bring diverse communities together and help connect them to this fantastic river which has a rich history and acts as an important space for wildlife."
Volunteers will be trained as citizen scientists to collect data on the river, and a plan will be co-developed with communities to guide future developments around it.
There are also plans to support the return of brown trout through a river restoration project.
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Stuart McLeod, director of England - London and south at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: "We’re proud to support Thames21’s ambitious plans to restore and celebrate the River Roding.
"This project will not only improve the river’s health and biodiversity but also reconnect communities with a vital part of their local heritage."
The project is a collaborative effort with key partners from the Roding, Beam and Ingrebourne catchment partnership.
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