Brookfield Meadow - Launch Event
“I want to make work that connects people to the world around them ... encourages people to experience places like this more deeply”
Listen to the River Ching was launched at Brookfield Meadow on Wednesday 6 May and we were delighted by how many people popped by during the afternoon and the lovely response to the music. People of all ages took the opportunity to slow down, pause for a moment to listen and wander by the river. This project is hyper local for me and there really is a lot of love for this district in NE London.
Some visitor feedback
‘Lovely to see this previously neglected corner come to life. The music and words are beautiful and moving. Thank you for a wonderful project’
‘Beautiful moving music … the most incredible way to connect with nature’
‘What a lovely thing to have on our doorstep. Thank you – the music is lovely’
‘Music was magical and so lovely to sit on a toadstool and listen under the trees by the river’
‘Made me experience the place in a different way’
The River Ching
Find out more about this small urban stream and Ching Action Group
Epping Forest by F. H. Headley
The River Ching (often marked on maps simply as The Ching / Ching Brook) is a small, meandering river that starts at Connaught Water in Epping Forest and travels 10km to join the River Lea near the North Circular, north of Banbury Reservoir, Walthamstow.
As is the case with most North East London rivers, the River Ching is heavily modified with multiple weirs, structures, culverts, and stretches of concrete channel, which can block fish passage. The river has been artificially straightened, widened, and deepened in places. Although the River Ching is home to an array of wildlife such as perch, stone loach, European eel, and stickleback, fish biodiversity has declined in recent years due to physical barriers, pollution and poor water quality. The Ching Action Group is working in partnership with Thames 21 and others on this to improve biodiversity and water quality, restoring the river’s natural flow and supporting its rich aquatic life.
The River Ching Action Group is a group of volunteers that aims to improve the River Ching for people and nature along the river and enhance local people’s relationship with green spaces. They have been clearing the overgrown space to improve access to the river at Brookfield Path and continue to enhance habitats for biodiversity, run craft workshops and promote health benefits of being outdoors and in nature. They have also commissioned some beautiful animal sculptures and benches by chainsaw carver Marshall Lambert which have recently been installed on the site along with willow arches designed by willow weaver Deb Hart.
Listen to the River Ching is a Ching Action Group project, sponsored by Waltham Forest's ‘Make it Happen’ and supported by Highams Park Planning Group.
To find out more about the Ching Action Group’s activities sign up for a monthly email update from chingactiongroup@gmail.com or find on Facebook
A walk along the River Ching
I joined writer and filmmaker John Rogers for a walk along the River Ching.
The source of the River Ching comes out of the lake at Connaught Water.
Last weekend I joined John Rogers on a walk along the River Ching - a small, meandering river that starts at Connaught Water in Epping Forest and joins the River Lea near the North Circular, north of Banbury Reservoir. The Ching has always been a part of my life. My family home in Highams Park is close by, and my walk to Primary School (Oakhill) often involved paddling in it or playing pooh sticks on the bridge at Brookfield path.
There were familiar sights and a few surprises on the 3-hour walk. Below are some photos - with thanks to Liz Daly from Waltham Forest London Borough of Culture for a few of these!
Check out John’s website, especially his excellent YouTube videos exploring areas of London.
