Crane Valley Campiagn Launched

5.40.35pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 29th Sep 2003

At the Shot Tower in Crane Park, last Sunday, around 50 local residents launched a campaign to improve the length of the Crane Valley through Twickenham, Whitton and Heathfield. Those at the launch were addressed by Vincent Cable MP, Rob Grey of FORCE - the campaigning group which has fought the council's plans to build on Metropolitan Open Land in Twickenham; and Alex Robb, the Warden of Crane Park Nature Reserve.

Vincent Cable said: "The Crane Valley is one of Twickenham's finest reserves. There aren't many parts of urban London where it is possible to walk for miles along a river valley, much of it untouched woodland. But parts of it are badly neglected. I walked from the Harlequins Ground to the Nature Reserve and in the river there were three supermarket trolleys, a motorbike, a bicycle and piles of litter and there was graffiti all over the bridges. I hope that with a link up between the park warden and the FORCE group seeking to protect and improve the Crane downstream there will be a real commitment to the Crane. But the council and the Environment Agency also have to do their bit to clean up the river and banks".