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Thames Environment Fund
Providing financial support for projects that help improve the environment of the tidal river
The environment fund is part of the PLA’s work to deliver the Thames Vision 2050, which aims to secure greater use of the Thames and see the river between Teddington Lock and the North Sea become the cleanest since the Industrial Revolution.
In the past three years, the PLA has funded 14 projects, thanks to the Thames Environment Fund. In 2022, two rowing clubs were awarded funding to replace their petrol outboards with electric alternatives. In 2021, a total of five projects were successful in receiving funding related to the themes of invasive species and litter.
Second round projects
Greenwich Yacht Club used its £14,355.45 grant for the purchase, installation and testing of 3 electric outboard boat motors, as well as an outreach initiative to educate members and the community about the benefits of electric outboards.
Fulham Reach Boat Club used its £2,000 grant to plan and engage participants in regular litter-picking sessions and use weekly water quality testing to educate participants on river pollution and collect a reliable dataset.
£2,500 allowed South Dock Marina Berth Holders Association to extend the flora introduction in the Greenland Dock Lock Area with the addition of 8, 2-meter square floating planter sections to adjoin the existing line of 5, creating a reed bed of sufficient density to be self-sustaining. An ‘H’ layout will incorporate sheltered areas for bird life.
University College London (UCL)'s £12,500 grant enabled it to plan research filtration techniques to collect microplastics from the River Thames and develop a series of three prototypes to quantify their effectiveness. A report will be published outlining the project deliverables and the next steps for future research.
London Wildlife Trust received a £12,130 grant for the purchase of essential PPE, tools, equipment, and materials for the Isleworth Ait volunteering sessions. Access improvements to the landing allowed volunteers to undertake projects on the island: Osiers were harvested, and mostly replanted, trees obstructing the footpath were removed, and sycamore branches overhanging the summer snowflake and marsh marigolds (starting to flower in March) were cut back.
Medway Swale Estuary Partnership’s £2,250 grant allowed it to undertake monthly litter clean-ups on sites across the Thames and Medway Swale Estuaries. To date 63 volunteers have attended equating to 126 volunteer hours and 127 bags of litter have been removed from the foreshore weighing 874kg.
Tidey’s grant of £2,500 helped them create a project informing groups of students about river pollution and promoting litter-picking, caring for river wildlife, and protecting the river. The project also involved litter picking events with students on the foreshore, with data feeding into Thames21’s water pollution database and the PLA’s Cleaning the Thames.
2024-2025 project success stories
December 2023 – October 2024
Five litter picks have taken place from the club removing a total of 400kg of rubbish. Items collected included plastic bottles, plastic packaging, disposable vapes, drinks cans, glass, tyres, canisters, metal, polystyrene, and wet wipes. A total of 69 people from the public, community groups, corporates and club members have engaged in these activities, making a real difference to the environmental sustainability of the River Thames. Feedback from participants has been very positive, and many were often surprised at the quantity and variety of rubbish that is collected and removed.
Contact Fulham Reach Boat Club | Rowing in London | Rowing Club in Fulham
January – October 2024
12 foreshore clean-ups took place in total across northwest Kent, attended in by 153 volunteers. 295 bags of litter were removed from the foreshore weighing 1492kg. After each clean-up, a random bag of litter was selected for its contents to be analysed. Overall, hard plastics were the most common type of litter collected, but other common types included soft plastics (including wet wipes and polystyrene), material (such as sponge, cotton and textiles) and metal.
April 2024 – April 2025
The project was completed just prior to Easter 2025 with the final planting out of five new round floating planters in the Greenland Lock area immediately adjacent to the Thames. In total ten round floating planters, six wall mounted planters and four small, one-meter square floating planters were refurbished and placed into the water. Several new plant species are being tried in the planters alongside well-established species from previous seasons. Both floating and fixed planters are being implemented as part of this project to explore further habitat development opportunities.
April 2024 – April 2025
New battens for the ramp have enabled safer access to the Isleworth Ait, facilitating trips to the island as part of the Thames Festival. 40 members of the public were able to visit the site, and we received some very positive feedback:
“Thank you very much for the opportunity to take part in the guided tour of Isleworth Ait on Sunday the 15th. It was such a privilege to explore the island and learn of its unique importance, our guide's knowledge of the flora and fauna that inhabit the island was delivered comprehensively and with obvious passion all the while in an entertaining way. Every aspect of the event was so very well planned and organised with the many necessary 'health & safety' procedures adhered to smoothly and professionally”.
“I wanted to take this opportunity to thank all the team of volunteers who made our visit to Isleworth Ait on Sunday so interesting & enjoyable. The whole event was extremely well organised, from the initial emails with information on appropriate clothing, etc., prior to our visit, to the pre-visit safety briefing, our short journey by boat to the jetty, & our walk the length of the island & back. Our guides for the walk were most knowledgeable about the Ait's history, its bird, mammal & invertebrate wildlife, its plants, & the current management practices. It really was an opportunity not to be missed to visit somewhere which we have passed so many times, & seen from the towpath between Richmond & Kew, whilst out running, or, more recently, walking. Thank you & all involved very much again, for a most memorable afternoon.”
Three days of riverside contract work were completed, using a crane barge to cut and remove trees along the banks to open up light that will allow marginal vegetation to re-colonise. Monthly volunteer sessions are carried out including sessions removing the invasive plant species from the island. In November 2024 a mollusc survey was carried out in collaboration with Zoological Society of London and Citizen Zoo.
2023-2024 project success stories
The AHOY centre in Deptford received our Thames Environment Fund grant for new equipment, that enabled them to increase their Litter Pickers activities, increasing awareness of recycling initiatives and how to stem plastic pollution, engaging with about 250 young people to date.
Zoological Society of London (ZSL) established a collaboration with citizen scientists to investigate the life cycle of plastic litter in London, while recruiting a greater diversity of volunteers in local communities, with the Thames Environment Fund grant. The project recorded an average of 154 items of rubbish per 100 meters of the river surveyed, peaking in Tower Hamlets.
Our Thames Environment Fund enabled the Whale Company and Active360 to reconnect more children with the Thames, London’s biggest open space, through litter-busting, stand-up paddle-boarding (SUP) sessions, combined with a take-away Thames Natural History guide. A total of 145 secondary school students experienced the sport, and learnt about biodiversity, from years 7 to 9 from five schools: Chiswick School, Lampton School, The Green School for Boys, London Free School and Rivers Academy.
The Medway Swale Estuary Partnership project used our Thames Environment Fund to target the Isle of Sheppey’s growing population of invasive Pacific oysters (Magallana gigas) - and the dangers posed by their impacts to local ecosystems and razor-sharp shells. Nearly 40,000 oysters were removed.
Our Thames Environment Fund supports the trust to continue to transform Dartford Creek from an abandoned, industrial waterway, into an important green corridor, bringing new life to derelict wharves.
Frequently asked
The Port of London Authority is the custodian of the tidal Thames from Teddington Lock to the estuary. We aim to have a river that is valued for its clean air, natural flood defence, wildlife and as a carbon sink.
Working with local communities, researchers and NGOs is critical to achieving these aims. We have launched our Thames Environment Fund to help support projects along the tidal Thames that help meet the goals of our Thames Vision 2050.
Our funding themes are:
• Improving water quality
• Enhancing ecology and biodiversity
• Reducing carbon emissions and promoting sustainability
• Improving air quality
See each theme below for more details.
- Community groups
- Charities
- NGOs
- Universities and academia
- Other not for profit organisations
Two types of funding are available:
• Large grants (up to £15,000)
• Small grants (up to £2,500)
• Project must be located on the tidal Thames or directly benefit the tidal Thames or its operators.
• The project progress should be able to be monitored with a clear start and end date and finishing no later than 31st December 2024.
• Projects implementing or trialling emissions reduction technology should include emissions monitoring in their project scope.
• Applicants should be willing to share results of any trial/monitoring data/emissions reduction with the PLA at the PLA’s request.
• PLA logos and recognition of the funding source is required on all publicity (i.e. social media) and publications produced as part of the funding.
• The granting of PLA funding does not negate the applicant from having to gain other consents, such as PLA TRWL or other necessary consent. All consents must be in place prior to any project work being undertaken.
• All projects collecting litter as part of the project will be required to input their data and clean-up through the PLA Cleaning the Thames website.
Bids should demonstrate:
• The need for the funding and what objective the project will address
• The impact the project will have on the specific topic
• Any collaborative working required to accomplish the project
• A timeline detailing the stages and completion dates of the project
• Details of any monitoring required to verify project success
• Other sources of financial support that have been sought and/or obtained
• Appropriate risk assessment
Under our improving water quality theme, we are interested in supporting projects such as:
• Designing and/or trialling a new innovative method of macro/micro litter removal from the foreshore or water of the tidal Thames
• Researching pathways of litter and pollution entering the Thames and proposals for mitigation and management
• Delivering educational programmes related to litter and its impact on the environment
• Increasing public awareness to drive a long-lasting reduction in the amount of litter entering the Thames
• Designing and/or trialling new methods for monitoring and assessing water quality against a range of pollutants
• Citizen science projects aimed at monitoring water quality
Under our enhancing ecology theme, we are interested in supporting projects such as:
• Small scale habitat improvements near the tidal Thames foreshore (edges) or adjacent land
• Delivering educational programmes related to biodiversity and ecology of the Thames
• Increasing public awareness on invasive non-native species
• Invasive non-native removal projects
• Citizen science projects aimed at surveying key species including invasive non-natives
Under our sustainability theme, we are interested in supporting projects such as:
• Small scale renewable energy installations for direct use
• Reducing and designing out waste using circular economy principles
• Contributions towards shore power solutions for charging electrical outboard motors
• Programs that focus on raising awareness about environmental issues, promoting sustainability education, and fostering a sense of responsibility towards the environment
Under our improving air quality theme, we are interested in supporting projects such as:
• Trials of low emission alternative fuels
• Electric outboards for small recreational vessels
• Trials of alternative propulsion vessels
• Installation of emission monitoring technologies on vessels
• Trials of innovations or existing technologies to reduce post-combustion emissions from diesel engines on vessels
