Cooling Down
As I write, it’s warm; very warm. East London is experiencing a heat wave. It may be over by the time you read this but, if it is, perhaps you can cast your mind back to those days in July 2022 when some were reveling in the sunshine and others were melting. I am somewhere in between: the sunshine makes me happy but my mind and body feels like they’re overheating. I want…
What do I want? I want two things. I want a beer. A cold, cold beer. I want to glug it down and feel it quench my unshakable thirst. I also want to plunge into cold water, to drop my temperature, to feel a welcome icy chill. The first I can find close to home: a pint of East End Lager anyone? The second is proving more difficult. It involves a trek to the ponds in Hampstead or desperate attempts to book at slot at Hackney West Reservoir (which I’ve so far failed to do). Which is where, I hope, East London Waterworks Park will make a difference. We’re a
community group aiming to buy a local industrial site and turn it into an urban oasis for nature and people, with … ta da … wild swimming ponds. They’ll be fed by rainwater, so as not to increase the already overstretched water table, and the water will be cleaned as it passes through reed beds and specially-chosen aquatic plants. Just imagine it:
We know we can make this dream a reality, but we do need a smidgeon of help. Which is why I’m very grateful to the wonderful people of for giving me this
platform to share our crowdfunder to buy the site with you: www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/elwp. Please share and, if you can, donate. And I promise I’ll stand you a pint one day!
Abi