Yorkshire Film Archive footage captures environmental efforts to clean up Leeds waterways in 1980s

Here is what those at the archive had to say about this film:

“Made by the Leeds Movie Makers in 1987, this film documents the work that was being done in Leeds to clean up the rivers and waterways and to restore old buildings. In the film we are introduced to the different aspects of water pollution present along the River Aire that runs through Leeds (such as litter, industrial waste and detergents). It then shows some of the various ways that people have been involved in addressing this issue, including setting up nature reserves and litter picks.

“Water pollution is still a topic that is very much present today, be it in our rivers, seas and lakes with more and more research being done to highlight the effects of plastics and other pollutants on wildlife and human life. Many charities do exist such as Aire River Trust and Surfers against Sewage to try and raise awareness or tackle some of the pollution, and this film clip highlights how there have always been people interested in helping to preserve the natural environment.”

This clip is courtesy of the Yorkshire and North East Film Archive as part of their Nature Matters project supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Nature Matters explores the archives through an environmental lens and includes activities such as film digitisation, events, outreach and contemporary collecting – the search for nature-based films of the last few decades.

Find out more about the project at www.yfanefa.com/nature_matters

To watch the full film, visit www.yfanefa.com/record/4735