Friends Billz and Amir

As a local to this area I was aware of levels of city pollution in the River Lea, like many other city waterways, & the Latin-American community I encountered were also wise to it. But, with the horror of the Covid Pandemic all around, people needed an escape from confined flats & housing, and their attitude was that the virus to them was a much bigger threat. The river to this community is a childhood memory, a place of social and emotional comfort, and an escape.

River Lea, 35 degrees, July 2020

As the hot summer days rolled on in London, more and more Latinos, linked by language and culture, were attracted to the River Lea. On this particularly hot afternoon, the temperature was 35 degrees, Willy turned up the volume on his massive speaker and played some Colombian salsa music, suddenly there was an explosion of water and light as everyone started splashing to the rhythm of the music

The Diaz family, August 2020

Three generations of the Diaz family, originally from Medellín, Colombia, spending the day at the river. Raidiris, Yohanni with her son Alan and daughter Ashley, and Sandi

Baby Gabriel from Brazil, Saturday 8 August 2020

Baby Gabriel, nine months old, floating on the river in a peaceful sleep. ‘I had heard on the radio that day that over 100,000 people in Brazil had lost their lives to Covid-19’

Isla, August 2020

Isla celebrates her 26th birthday with a small gathering of friends in a leafy secluded area of the river bank on a warm Sunday evening

Sophia Hansali, August, 2020

When I saw Sophia Hansali sitting in the water I instantly loved her hair and I knew she would photograph well in front of the Poplar tree further up the bank. The pink of her hair and the light green leaves go well together, as does her top. I took this photo of Sophia just after 7pm on a warm summer’s evening in August. A few women nearby asked her where she had got her fabulous nails done, and the answer she gave them was at a nail parlour in Enfield

Through the trees I saw them waving to friends, July 2020

‘I walked straight into the water fully clothed. I saw splashing, I saw light bouncing on the water, I saw colour, I heard salsa and cumbia music coming from the banks of the river’

Doña Alba and family, August, 2020

Doña Alba Barrientos, 73, from Medellin, Colombia, with her two daughters Joana and Liliana and her grandson Johan. The Latino communities in London are centred around the London areas of Seven Sisters and also Elephant and Castle. During the Summer of 2020 they discovered the swimming spot along The River Lea. Their roots are very much from South America, particularly Colombia, Brazil, Venezuela and Ecuador

Sofia and Paula from Spain, July 2020

In the evening light by the river

Riverbank, July 2020

River goers would spread towels and blankets along the banks of the river and relax on their own or with friends and family. The foliage was often reflected in the water so the surface would appear jade green when it was backlit by the sun, as if transporting us all to somewhere tropical. Environmental authorities advise against swimming in the River Lea. The headline and subheading of this article were amended on 8 April 2021 to more accurately reflect what is depicted in the images and to note that concerns have been raised about the levels of pollution in the River Lea.