A WARBLER of a different kind is helping to encourage people to look after Keighley rivers.

Singer Eddie Lawler plans to give an entertaining presentation to local environmentalists about how to care for the Rivers Aire and Worth.

The poet and songwriter, known as the Bard of Saltaire, is one of the guests at the upcoming meeting of Keighley eco-group Green Drinks.

He and fellow members of the Friends of Bradford's Beck will use the meeting to issue a rallying call to local people to support their work.

The Friends look after all tributaries of Bradford Beck – including the two rivers flowing through Keighley – but need extra help.

Green Drinks Keighley will be held on Tuesday, March 7, at 7.30pm in the Brown Cow pub off West Lane.

The talk is being supported by Keighley Big Local, the lottery-funded regeneration programme for a stretch of the Worth Valley from Ingrow to Stockbridge.

Green Drinks spokesman Shaun O’Hare said: “There are lots of opportunities to get involved, with both the Friends of Bradford’s Beck and the Aire Rivers Trust.

“Robert Hellwell and Eddie Lawler, who are giving the presentation, are hoping a more creative presentation might inspire local resident action.

“I am told they will finish with a sing-song, making the best use of Eddie’s talents.

Mr Hare said a community approach to caring for local rivers was working working in Bradford, and the Aire River Trust would like to see similar support in the Aire and Worth valleys where volunteer involvement was particularly poor.

He added: “Volunteers can provide a valuable service as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the river through monitoring, carrying out practical tasks and advising on access."

Robert Hellwell is an observer for the Aire Rivers Trust who is working on urban pollution for the Friends.

He said: “We are focused on Bradford at the moment but we hope this meeting will provide an opportunity to spread the word.

"It would be great to get any local anglers, environmentalists or naturalists to come along. We really need an active branch of our organisation to help look after the River Worth.

"Watercourses have always been important to Bradford and West Yorkshire but they now need revitalising so that they can play a greater part in place-making, economic regeneration, and contributing to safer, cleaner, greener neighbourhoods.”

Roberts said the Friends were an ever-growing group of eclectic locals who shared a common belief that the city’s urban waterways could be an asset to Bradford.

Visit facebook.com/groups/BradfordsBecks for further information.