From pop singer to environmentalist – Feargal Sharkey in Brixton to spread message about water pollution

Brixton’s fabulous Ritzy Cinema played host to a short horror film premier with a powerful environmental message, which was followed by a talk with the cast and director.

It features two young actresses and the voice of Stephen Fry.

But very much taking centre stage in the discussion about the 15-minute film Black Samphire was former Undertones frontman Feargal Sharkey and two activists who are fervent campaigners against the unchecked pollution of our waterways, which they say has made swimming and fishing so hazardous.

The short film features two girl friends on a mini holiday home break in a rural harbour – Chichester in this case – and shows the dreadful consequences of one of the duo eating wild samphire collected from a river tributary and marshland contaminated by effluence.

The tie-in between movie producers Silicon Gothic and the River Action UK group Sharkey belongs to, as its vice chairman, is all too obvious.

The horror, written by a open-water swimmer Cathy Wippell, who also stars in the film alongside Ishtar Currie-Wilson, is a cautionary tale which examines the “deathly spectre” of toxic pollution entering the waterways.

James Wallace, chief executive of River Action UK, who compered the evening, said: “What better genre to tell the horror story of the national river pollution scandal than folk horror?.

“By supporting this film, River Action raises the deathly spectre of the collapse of our rivers and wildlife to show viewers that this catastrophe is real and affects us all”.

Timed to coincide with World Water Day on Friday, the panel discussion which followed included river campaigner Sharkey and the River Action members keen to raise greater awareness of the issue and the failure of regulators like the Environmental Agency (EA).

“Left to my own devices, I would abolish the EA and start all over again,” Sharkey told audience members. “If anybody says the EA doesn’t have the teeth [to control pollution] it’s a complete and utter lie. They have more teeth than 15 tigers, but just refuse to bite.

“The system of regulation needs massive reform. In terms of the water companies, I would nationalise Thames Water tomorrow and not pay the shareholders a penny.”

Ashley Smith, a former police detective now involved with River Action, said: “We need to make water companies that are there to deliver clean water and to treat sewage, not organisations that are there to extract a maximum amount of money from the public.”

Pictured top: Poster of the film (left) and Feargal Sharkey in the panel discussion (Picture: YT)