Welcome to our Spring 2026 Newsletter

Signs of spring are everywhere, with birds singing, buds appearing and early flowers brightening up our gardens, road verges and woodland floors.  It’s the perfect time to get out into nature and enjoy our local environment.

Spring is traditionally a season of hope and renewal, but in the face of relentless bad news, it’s easy to sink into despair and feel powerless. But at S3R we truly believe that by working together, we really can make a difference to our world. A vast ocean of change is made up of small individual drops.

This newsletter brings you all our latest green tips and ideas, plus volunteering opportunities and our latest events.

Please come and join us and let’s celebrate the simple joys of spring and work together for a greener future!

We hope you enjoy the read!

With Our Best Wishes

The Sustainable Three Rivers Team

There are plenty of Eco events lined up in the Three Rivers area this spring:

Monday 20th April - Eco Open House in Chorleywood. Laura, a local resident, is opening her home to show you what a full house eco renovation looks like. Heat pumps, triple glazing, ventilation systems, solar panels - come and feel what it's like in a home with them all. This event is now fully booked, but please sign up to join the wait list. Everyone on the wait list will be the first to hear about another Chorleywood Open House being organised for May.

Saturday 25th April - Renewables Roadshow in Croxley Green. Dive into the world of renewable energy. This in-person event is your chance to explore the latest eco-friendly innovations, chat with experts, and discover how you can make a green impact. Speakers will be covering all elements of upgrading your home, from the why and how to funding and planning. Book your place now.

Monday 27th April - Seed Swap at Rickmansworth Library 11.30am - 1pm. A chance to visit the newly refurbished library and swap some seeds to grow.

Friday 1st May - Summer Hanging Basket Workshop with Ted. 11am - 1pm Rickmansworth Community Garden. Our popular Ted talks return, with the chance to plant out your own pollinator friendly hanging basket. Look out for booking details on our Events page soon.

Sunday 7th June - Free Workshop - How to Take Cuttings - Rickmansworth Community Garden . Cuttings are a great way to save money on your gardening and get more plants for free! Please book your place now on what promises to be a very interesting and practical workshop.

Saturday 22nd August - Kids’ Bird Box Making with Ted - Rickmansworth Community Garden. Save the date for the popular summer holiday workshop. More details to follow.

Please Invest in Your Community

Sustainable Three Rivers is a Community Interest Company and everything we do is for the benefit of all of us in the Three Rivers area.

As well as maintaining our website and sending out our newsletters, we run many popular community events and initiatives, including schools’ programmes. Our thriving Community Garden is maintained by volunteers, but we also incur costs for its upkeep, signage etc.

Our work is funded entirely by voluntary donations from our team and occasional grants, plus welcome donations from local councillors’ budgets, when finances allow.

We understand that money is tight for us all at the moment, but if you would like to make big difference to S3R, and help us keep going with what we do, then please think about making a small donation towards our costs.

A regular gift of just £5 a month (not much more than the cost of a cappuccino in a coffee shop) would make a big difference to us. Or however much you can afford.

You don’t need to sign up to make a regular donation to help. Head over to our website, where we have the option for you to make either a one- off or monthly donation. We have some FAQs on the page about us and our funding, but if you have any questions, please do get in touch at hello@sustainablethreerivers.org

If you can spare anything at all to help us keep our community thriving, we really would be incredibly grateful.

Volunteer to Protect the River Chess

Our beautiful local waterway, the River Chess, is a rare chalk stream habitat, home to many unique species. Local community group The River Chess Association is calling out for more residents to help monitor wildlife and oversee the health of the river.

There are currently three projects that local volunteers can join:

●       Riverfly Monitoring in pairs, which involves an hour of river wading each month. Data gathered shows long term trends of rivers health and helps scientists design ways to improve the ecosystem. Some lucky volunteers get to be the first person to record a species for the county.

●       Flow Monitoring in pairs, which involves using flow gauging equipment in the river for an hour each month. Data collected is used to improve river flow and understand the impact of floods and droughts. ‍ ‍

●       River Wardens, who walk stretches of the river looking for issues like footpath access, blockages in the river, pollution events or fly tipping. These problems are dealt with by River Chess Association working parties and partner organisations. River wardens can choose to go out daily or just once a month and can make a big impact to river wildlife and its habitats.‍

If you’ve ever tried to “clean up” your beauty routine and felt instantly overwhelmed, you’re not alone. With endless ingredients lists, seeking sustainable beauty can quickly feel confusing.

The good news? Making more sustainable choices with beauty and personal care products is about progress not perfection. Small, thoughtful steps taken over time can significantly reduce harm to animals, people and planet.

Click the link to read our Beginner’s Guide to cleaning up your beauty act. It’s full of easy to follow tips and advice.

Birds to Look Out For This Spring

Spring is a time of change and migration for birds in our local area. From warblers to swifts, discover the arrivals & departures we can expect from mid-March to mid-May and where to see them.

Comments Sought From Local Residents on Abbots Langley Data Centre Waste Heat

In October last year Grand Union Community Energy was awarded £40,000 by GB Energy and the Community Energy Fund to investigate the viability of a heat network using the waste heat from the data centre that is currently being planned for a site in Abbots Langley.

As a non profit Community Energy Organisation, GUCE’s priority is to look at ways to build energy resilience for the residents of South West Herts, working closely with Three Rivers District Council.

They will shortly be hosting a community event and consultation to find out local residents’ views on ways in which waste heat from the forthcoming centre can be used to provide energy for local homes.

Click the link to find out more and visit GUCE’s website.

Spring Gardening Tips

It’s important at this time of year to set a firm foundation for your garden’s success later in the year. Here are our suggestions:

1. Garden Clean Up & Preparation Clear fallen leaves, twigs and dead stalks. Hoe young weeds before they establish deep roots. Apply a layer of organic mulch to suppress further weeds and retain moisture. Improve your beds by adding well-rotted, peat-free compost, and take the time to clean and sharpen your tools.

2. Essential Plant Care Prune summer-flowering shrubs like buddleia and roses to encourage new growth. Divide established perennials to boost performance. Plant summer bulbs such as lilies and dahlias, and sow hardy annuals and early vegetables like carrots and lettuce directly into prepared beds.

3. Revive the Lawn Rake away moss, aerate compacted areas and carry out the first mow on the highest blade setting once grass is actively growing. Seed any bare patches. Consider leaving areas uncut to support wildlife.

4. Supporting Wildlife Install a water butt to collect rainwater for acid-loving plants. Choose pollinator friendly plants, particularly those where it’s easy for them to access nectar, and avoid over-tidying. Leaving some old stems or a wild corner provides vital shelter for hibernating insects.

Want to boost your horticultural skills?

Why not join the volunteers at Ricky Community Garden? You can learn from our experienced team and they’ll be delighted to welcome you.

Just One Sustainable Thing…

Big change starts with small steps. Easter and spring are a time of new beginnings, so it’s the perfect time to take the first steps on your sustainable journey - or travel further if you’ve already begun!

These are some ideas you could try:

• Visit Rickmansworth Library when it reopens on 9th April. Sharing and reusing books not only saves the world’s resources, but it saves you space at home too! The Library are sustainability partners with S3R, so look out for their events such as the Seed Swap on 27th April (see above).

• When you’re visiting the library, remember to take your blister packs to recycle! Look out for their recycling boxes for pens too - coming soon.

• Get ready for No Mow May - or leave patches of your garden more wild year round. It makes a big differences to birds and insects. You could consider fitting a bee or bug hotel too - it’s the perfect time of year.

Visit our website for more ideas.

Sustainable Three Rivers is a Community Interest Group, founded by local residents. Our aim is to help people in Three Rivers make lifestyle changes to protect the planet. 

If you’ve got any ideas for sustainable solutions or questions about any of the points we cover, we’d love to hear from you!

You can email us at hello@sustainablethreerivers.org

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