It started with a new discovery – Faith’s story

Tired of corporate conservation and desperate for hands-on action, Faith realised that she did not need to leave the city to get stuck in the mud.

The old industrial land around East London's River Lea had been untouched for decades. That was until it was quietly transformed into a treasure trove of biodiversity.

The Cody Dock project was created to help developers design buildings that protect wildlife and green spaces within a busy city.

Cody Dock is supported by the National Lottery Climate Action Fund (CAF). The fund supports communities across the UK to act on climate change and involve more people in environmental action.

From boardroom to riverbank

For Faith Wilder, Urban Ecology Project Manager at Cody Dock, the project was an exciting discovery.

Faith was feeling frustrated by how traditional conservation handles large-scale decisions. “It feels like you either do the commercial route, where nobody is engaged and the big man makes decisions for everybody, or it's entirely about engagement.”

But at Cody Dock, Faith's job blends the commercial considerations with community outreach.

Some days she's working with developers and authorities to improve habitat quality.

On other days, she's planting seeds or she's by the river with members of the community, teaching them the joys of local natural habitats.

Lending a helping hand

The River Lea's wildlife has flourished thanks to the work of the Cody Dock team. And the project itself is thriving with ever-increasing community support.

"We have thousands of volunteers each year,” Faith says. “We have an open day every season and we'll get between 500 to 1,500 people."

Then there's survey days, where volunteers discover the joy of getting stuck into the river's natural mess to record the wildlife diversity.

"Everybody that comes is so excited to be given permission to get dirty and get in the river" Faith says.

Discovering local wildlife

Community is essential to protecting the site from the ugly side of urban development. “Knowledge is power,” as Faith puts it. Through studying and documenting the waterway, the team can gain a thorough understanding of Cody Dock.

"In the past a lack of information has meant that developers can get away with quite a lot" Faith explains.

As increasing numbers of locals connect over Cody Dock and its cause, it has meant that surveyance has been possible. It recently recorded its 1,000th species, the Water Horehound plant.

Other intriguing wildlife that has been spotted and recorded along its banks include the:

• Critically endangered Eyed Longhorn Beetle, previously only identified in Cambridgeshire.

• Caribbean Elver, a juvenile eel that Faith spotted navigating the river.

“It takes them 3 years to swim here” she says. “A big challenge that they're facing is that all of our rivers have locks, and they're pretty polluted.”

Making a difference together

River recovery is high up on Faith's to-do list. She is already tackling a reed-bed restoration to help river wildlife, control sediment, and clean the water.

It's a sign of the project's success. With better understanding of the River Lea and more volunteers, Cody Dock is shifting its focus to protecting the river's future.

Once an abandoned area, now a place for plants and wildlife to thrive, supported by a local community.

Get started

We support environmental projects of all shapes and sizes. We offer grants from £300 up to £20,000 through our open Awards for All programme to grants over £500,000 through our Climate Action Fund.

Find out more about environment funding in your area and apply.