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26
Jul 2024
Emmerdale cast and crew clean beck near Harrogate
The cast and crew of ITV’s Emmerdale recently swapped lights, camera, action for wellies and wildlife.
Members the programme’s green team, which promotes sustainability on and off camera, partnered with Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust – a Pateley Bridge-based charity that works to protect local rivers.
People from each department – including cast, costume, location and sound – spent the day learning about the trust's work to restore Timble Gill Beck and the River Washburn, both of which are catchment sources for Swinsty Reservoir.
Jennifer Lee, the trust's volunteer and engagement officer, said the Emmerdale cohort was split into small groups who "worked hard" to tackle the spread of Himalayan balsam, which is prevalent in the Washburn Valley.
They removed scores of plants from the root across several parts of the valley, Ms Lee said, adding the teams’ work will make a “significant difference” to the spread of the invasive species, which outgrows native plants and reduces biodiversity.
Nader Mabadi, Emmerdale’s head of production and leader of the green team, said the partnership was a great opportunity to learn about environmentalism and conservation.
Mr Mabadi added:
We hope the team will take back what it learned today to feed into scripts and augment stories with additional environmental messages.
Emmerdale's green team. Credit: Yorkshire Dales Rivers Trust
Ellie King, one of Emmerdale’s assistant directors, also said:
To me this opportunity was about getting outside into nature and learning about what our show represents, which is rural Yorkshire.
There is a lot of box-ticking that goes on, but this was about taking it to the next level and making a connection between the show and where it’s set.
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