Art students from Richmond Upon Thames College have joined Sir Steve Redgrave's recent call for Thames Water to stop plans to pumping treated sewage into the River Thames by creating a sculpture, 'Withering Time', which calls for an end to Thames Water's proposed Teddington Direct River Abstraction (TDRA) scheme.

Their winning design, a permanent piece of art, will be unveiled later today (Thursday, 27 March) at 4pm outside The Anglers Pub in Teddington by local MP Munira Wilson.

Ben Walton, Manager at The Anglers, said: "As a local pub that serves the local community we have been delighted to be involved in this project.

Given our location, so close to the river, we have a determination to see a healthy River Thames and their determination, ensuring we challenge anything, such as TDRA, that will cause long term environmental damage for local people, wildlife and

water safety".

The Anglers is located at Teddington Lock (Credit: Tilly O'Brien)

Richmond Upon Thames College is partnering with the local community campaign group, Save Our Lands and River (SOLAR), who has received support from over 100 local businesses and organisations, including The Anglers.

Emma Tolhurst, SOLAR Campaigner and competition coordinator , said: "Save our Lands and River is proud to celebrate our dynamic partnership between SOLAR, The Anglers and Richmond upon Thames College.

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"We have been so impressed by the passion, energy and creativity from the winning team as well as the rest of the competition entries. We would encourage everyone to join with these amazing young people in finding out more about Thames Water's

environmentally destructive proposals and visit our website to see how to get involved"

The art student's sculpture for change serves as a visual statement that encourages people to think about the changes that potentially lie ahead for the ecosystem, not least in the face of the proposed TDRA.

It highlights the importance of community-driven action in preserving local environments.

The TDRA scheme poses serious risks to the river ecosystem, threatening the health of the water and the wellbeing of those who rely on the Thames for recreation, relaxation and mental health support.

The winning sculpture was a collaborative piece of work between college students Farhat Barmak, Kayla Sylvan-Mcdonald and Simran Thandi.

Jo Terrell, Head of Creative Arts at Richmond upon Thames College, said: "At Richmond upon Thames College we are proud of our students and the creative energy they bring.

"We were delighted to work with SOLAR and to see the range of ideas that the students created to address the critical issue of water quality.

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"The winning entry will now be there for many years to come, showing everyone who passes the passionate voice of young people."