Sunday’s Countryfile programme, largely devoted to the Lea Valley, is available on iplayer this week.

Matt Baker and Ellie Harrison are in the Lea Valley at 7pm tonight on BBC1’s Countryfile.

They are exploring the “the green lung of London”.

Ali Holloway on opening night in front of Glen Faba and Waulads Bank

An exhibition of woven textiles called By The Banks of the River Lea has opened at Three Mills.

The show is the result of a long walk last autumn down the Lea Valley Walk by weaver Ali Holloway.

She has woven cloth “to recall the colours, textures, moods and rhythm of the walk”.

It is not only her interpretation which one might find fascinating but the names of places given to the works: Thistly Marsh, Manifold Ditch, Glen Faba and Grotto Wood.

Ali has not just walked from Luton to Limehouse but dug deep into the terrain. Her photographs, although small and displayed at the back of the room, show tree tunnels and other aspects easily missed by those of us who think we know the valley well.

The exhibition at The House Mill is open 11am-4pm until Sunday 11 May except May Bank Holiday Monday and Tuesday.

Three Mills is at the end of Three Mill Lane near Bromley-by-Bow Station.

Ali Holloway has written a River Lea walk blog.

View from the View Tube

The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park is now open which means that after some years it is again possible to divert east and look at the Bow Back Rivers.

The best entry into the park when walking south is at Hackney Wick where you can go up on to the White Post Lane Bridge and go straight in.

Further south the diversion along the Greenway still affords a good view of the park although it is not so green since you also see the service entrance to the Arena. But the Moka East Cafe (or container cafe) in the View Tube at the end gives a panoramic view.

Here there is easy access to the just relocated Pudding Mill Lane Station.

The Line funding appeal has hit £141,000.

It looks as if the north-south sculpture trail from the ‘Olympic Park’ to the O2 will go ahead.

And this will open that last stretch of the Lea Valley Walk on an authentic route by way of Cody Dock.

An announcement is expected shortly.

invloves putting a bridge

Rupert Christiansen writes in The Daily Telegraph today in support of The Line.

This is the sculpture trail which will open up the last section of the Lea Valley Walk by putting a footbridge across Cody Dock entrance.

A look at the crowd funding page shows that the total raised has suddenly shot up to £25,000.

Today Rupert has joined 144 others making a pledge.  But more support is urgently needed.

Tottenham Hale Station is to be upgraded ready for high passenger numbers.

The ticket hall will be enlarged and steps removed.

The station, used by those joining or leaving the Lea Valley Walk at Tottenham Lock, is an interchange between National Rail trains operated by Greater Anglia and Underground services.

The work will begin next year and be completed early in 2017. Transport for London is planning to keep the station open during the period of work.

Danny Boyle is backing the The Line project which will allow the vital Cody Dock bridge to be built and complete the Lea Valley Walk.

Simon Myers, founder of the Cody Dock Project, says that Newham has more waterways than Venice. Mark Wallinger is also on board.

You can see the film and pledge here.

Good news in the Evening Standard today.

The Line is a proposed arts trail which Megan Piper wants to open this summer.

The route from Stratford to the Thames will include the installation of a vital footbridge at Cody Dock. This will be the final link to complete the Lea Valley Walk.

A £150,00 crowdfunding campaign is launched today. As I write there is already more than £1,000 pledged by 22 people. Lots of small donations will make this happen.

You can pledge here now.

The Thames21 project to tackle pollution in the River Lea in London has won support from HSBC.

A £490,000 grant will include regeneration of existing reedbeds and the creation of mini sustainable drainage systems.

There is recent dramatic evidence that pollution has killed of thousands of fish this summer after heavy rain washed vast amounts of road pollutants into the River Lea.

Schools will also be working closely with up to 4,000 HSBC staff and community volunteers to create and monitor the reedbeds and drainage systems.

Project Manager Ben Fenton of Thames21 said: “We know how badly polluted these rivers are and how much local people want to see this pollution addressed. This exciting project is a key step towards stopping the on-going degradation of East London’s rivers and allowing them to be vital green spaces, which support a vast array of wildlife and offer joy and respite to the communities they run through. I am very pleased to be working with HSBC on this important project and I am grateful for their invaluable support enabling us to undertake this crucial work”.

Supporting the project, HSBC’s David Burnett, Chief Operating Officer of Global Banking and Markets, said “We have a long history of helping the communities in which we serve. This two year programme will help to address the serious issue of freshwater pollution and support the people who live and work in the area. The programme uses local knowledge and volunteers to construct and plant new reedbeds, which will clean the water and offer an essential habitat.”

Anyone interested in taking part in Fixing Broken Rivers should follow Thames21’s updates.