The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo

Aim: The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo is a film and citizen science project to help end river pollution.

In September 2021, I went on a quest and mermaided  50 miles of the Bristol Avon, to investigate what's going on in our rivers AND to see if I could find any otters, whilst towing a big POO! 

Otters? Poo? 

Yes, otters AND poo! There's currently A LOT of poo in our rivers, all over the country. Otters are an indicator of a healthy river. River pollution kills off insects, which kills fish, and then there's no food for the otters and they'll say: "I'm otter here!" and head somewhere else for fish. 

 Along the mermaid swim quest, I met some inspiring people ...

who told me what's going on in our rivers and what we can all do about it.

The Environment Agency's budget has been slashed by 75% in the last decade. 

This  means there's less boots on the ground to prosecute naughty polluters, so they know they can get away with continuing to pollute. River health has also been declining in the last ten years. Funny that!

I got very sick one day. Like very Bleeeeurgh type sick.  We have a choice to use the river or not. However it's actually the fish, otters and wildlife's home! They have no choice but to swim in all our POOP- If they're lucky enough to be alive after swimming in it all that is. River pollution kills off a lot of the river ecosystem! And as Michelle from The Rivers Trust said: "If we make rivers no go zones then no one will care when the otters and wildlife disappear."

But there's good news river fans- it's not too late. We CAN still save our rivers! Hurraaaah!

Yes, River Angels basically do exist. And anyone can be one. Even you can! And that's where our film comes in.

How can The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo help end river pollution? 

Our fun film (17 mins), is shot cinematically (I'll tell you about Charlotte in a sec) and captures the inspiring beauty of the river (and of course the eeky poop). We hear about the problem of river pollution but also that there is hope to save it if we act now. We discover how easy citizen science is to do and how fun it can be too. 

I'll take the film to schools and festivals, share my story of being a mermaid, teach people how they can do citizen science and connect them with their local Rivers Trust so we can then have a wonderful big fat army to end river pollution.

The data collected using Freshwater kits can be compared with data collected in Zambia, China, Argentina and all over the world. So you will not only be helping your local river, you'll be part of GLOBAL CITIZEN SCIENCE. Isn't that so cool?!

Charlotte the wonderful filmmaker

I only met Charlotte last month and we've already been through a lot together. She's rubbed my back whilst I threw up a whole load of river poo, she's fed me sweets of her paddle in torrential rain and we've been shouted at by some unfriendly landowners. Charlotte is a great human who I have a whole l'otter love for. Here's what she has to say about being involved with The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo. 

"Hey friends, I'm Charlotte, Filmmaker and waterlover. I swim and kayak in Conham river park in Bristol where I live. I care about its ecosystem, for myself and the wildlife to enjoy and flourish. I love seeing families enjoy this stretch of river year round and am so happy to be part of a project that can make a difference. I have filmed around the world telling human stories with love and creativity from Iraq to Taiwan, and it's lovely to make a difference through film in my own back yard."

Has Lindsey mermaided a river with some sort of animal before?

Yes I have. In 2018, after cutting my hand on a piece of plastic whilst freediving, a dead sperm whale washed up further down the shore in Bali, with 6kg of plastic found in its belly. It was a pretty sad situation. Free divers wear monofins, which are like a mermaid tail, so I swam the length of the River Thames as a mermaid to highlight how we're choking our creatures and waterways with plastic. Along the way I rescued a drowning cow (true story) and ended up on page 3 of The Sun (yes, I knowl!) A school got in touch and said my tail had all the ingredients of a great kids story and asked my permission to turn it into their school play. I went along. It was adorable. So, I turned my story into a kids book- The Mermaid and the Cow. 

Then I discovered how much kids LOVE mermaids. They really do. And being a mermaid has been a great tool to talk to kids about important topics in a fun, engaging way. So, The Mermaid, The Otter and the Big Poo, will also become a children's book, which fingers crossed some nice children's book publishing mermaid eco fan might like to publish!!!- If you know of any or literary agents please send them my way :)

The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo will be part of a series of environment mermaid swims, films and children's books. Next summer, I plan to mermaid in Arctic Norway from where a glacier front used to be, to where it's now receded to, for.......The Mermaid and the Polar Bear, looking at how climate change has affected polar bears homes. Please do follow along if you're interested at www.lindseycole.co.uk or @stompycole. 

But, this is all about The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo!

I have normally made films on my phone. But the only people who get to see them are the odd few who follow me on social media and my mum (who'll watch it 1000 times). River pollution is a serious topic so I wanted to make a fun film but take it seriously. To make a good quality film, that will be presentable, engaging and inspiring, there's quite a lot involved.  Camera equipment (especially underwater ones) are pricey and I wanted to pay everyone so we could do a good job. Below are where the costs will be spent. 

• Camera operators for 11 days
• Underwater camera operators- 2days
• Equipment hire and insurance
• Editor- 12 days
• Colourist and sound engineer 2 days
• Music license 
• Marketing and distribution
• Sculpture  
• Citizen science testing kits
• Crowdfund fees (they take 10%) and reward deliveries

I sure can. Please see the range of rewards below and then find them in more detail on the left hand side of the page. You could perhaps pick up a Christmas present for someone :) I'm so otterly grateful for your support. Thank you so much. 

• Handwritten thank you card
• Invite to our virtual screen party
• Get your name in the credits
• Get 2 names in the credits, so someone doesn't get left out
• Children's book writing workshop
• Crowdfunding workshop
• Filmmaking workshop
• Weleda skincare package that I rely on when I go on multi day swim adventures
• Finisterre knitwear
• Predator Zoggs goggles
• Swim, otter spot and camping with me
• Associate producer credit
• A school visit from me
• Executive producer credit

We think this film and project needs to happen because of the current dire situation of pollution in our waterways and we believe it will inspire more people to help end river pollution. We need all the voices we can get right now.

Thank you so much for supporting The Mermaid, the Otter and the Big Poo in any way you can.