Water sport clubs in London, Essex and Kent have a chance to shape the future of physical activity on the tidal Thames and other “blue” spaces across the region, in a joint Port of London Authority (PLA) and London Sport survey.

The feedback received will help the PLA develop Active Thames, a new partnership with the national governing bodies for canoeing, rowing and yachting and other interested organisations, such as the Canal & River Trust. It aims to increase public participation in sport on the capital’s river and beyond.

Coaches, volunteers and all participants, with access to waterways covering the equivalent of 15,000 football pitches, from Teddington to the North Sea, are being asked to submit their views, by completing a short questionnaire by 24 April.

All respondents will be entered in a draw to win £250, in one of three categories.

Jenny Cooper, the PLA’s sports participation & community outreach manager, said:

“COVID-19 has really highlighted the benefits of outdoor exercise to health and wellbeing, with people turning to new sports and discovering local spaces. We saw a huge increase in new river users in the summer and we want them to come back, to keep active all year round and to enjoy the water safely. This survey will help us understand our new and existing audiences better, provide more opportunities, and support the incredible network of volunteers and staff who make sport happen.”

“It’s a key part of our long-term Thames Vision strategy, to maximise the social, economic and environmental benefits the river offers.”

Lorna Leach, strategic relationship manager, London Sport, said: “We're excited to be working with the Port of London Authority on Active Thames. We expect this research to provide a strong base on which to increase physical activity levels and develop the workforce behind water sports provision across London to provide inclusive activity and employment.

“The programme seeks to open up much-needed blue space across the capital supporting the diverse communities of London to safely access the river for water sport activities and benefit from the significant health and wellbeing outcomes that physical activity offers.”

The survey is available to complete now.

Participant – Survey Link [closed]

Anyone using blue space for recreation

Coach– Survey link [closed]

Anyone directly coaching participants, whether volunteering or paid

Administrator– Survey link [closed]

Anyone providing administrative support, whether volunteering or paid. This section includes questions on facilities and participation levels.

The public causeway at Erith, stretching over 170 metres into the river, is a vital access point for the emergency services and is widely used for recreation and commerce.

Recent surveys we undertook show signs of deterioration of the structure. As the owners, we are preparing to install a replacement, retaining the alignment and profile of the existing causeway.

Work is expected to start later this year and ahead of this we are interested to hear from causeway users and the local community, on how the project can be best implemented.

This consultation ends on 23 April 2021.

Starting work on the river in the 1950s, aged 15, Bermondsey boy Alan Woods' career has seen him serve as a Queen’s Waterman, lead Thames passenger boat design and co-found Thames Clippers.

His Thames legacy continues, with the opening of Woods Quay this spring.

What is your first memory of the Thames?

Spring 1947, walking round to Storks Road in Bermondsey, where my father, Alf, was finishing fitting out his clinker-built ‘dream boat’, to be used in and around the Pool of London, with a PLA licence to carry 12 passengers.

Dad had spotted the developing demand for sightseeing cruises on the river.  It was the start of Woods River Cruises. On weekends, he plied for hire with some of his fellow watermen at Irongate Stairs, right outside of the eastern gate to the Tower of London.

It was a big thrill was to be on one of the first trips out. I will never forget it.

What was your first job?

I won a place to go to Bermondsey Central School in Pages Walk, my father was intent that I would not follow in his footsteps as a licensed waterman and lighterman. He believed that the Thames was finished as a trading port. Unfortunately, when I was fourteen, Dad developed bowel cancer. My mother intervened, and I left school when legally permitted, at 15 and was apprenticed at Waterman’s Hall in November 1952.

My father got me a job at the General Lighterage Company.  The company’s operations stretched from Brentford Dock all the way down to Tilbury. We also worked London’ s canals. The work was incredibly varied, and I learned a lot. Along with timber and plywood, we also carried Heinz beans in those days.

What other memories stand out from your time on the river?

One Easter, I was ordered to go to Plantation House in the City of London, to meet the labour master, Bill Henry. He then sent me to join John Lovering, working two barges containing bags of potato starch at Winchester Wharf, in Southwark.

John taught me how to uncover and then cover up a hatch barge. He was a great guy to get started with. The wharf itself was a pure relic of the Victorian era.

The sacks of potato flour were taken out of the barge by a pulley, worked by two dockers in the hold, lowering a chain down from what was called a ‘loophole’. When they received the lowered chain, they would have two bags standing upright on the floor (called the ceiling) of the barge and loop the chain around the ears of the sacks. When the signal came, the sacks would fly up like lightning.

When I came out of the army, I joined the family business at Tower Pier, and in the winter months I was mentored by boatbuilder and waterman Bill Sims, of Kris Cruisers on Eel Pie Island at the upper end of Isleworth Ait.

Has your connection with the river led you to meet any famous people?

Over the years, we have hosted events and for a diverse range of famous people, including Roger Federer, Sir Terence Conran and Justin Timberlake.

During the 1960s, our boat was the place for stars such as Michael Caine, and Peter Sellers to escape the eyes of the press. In 1966, Brigitte Bardot was on board with us, escaping the paparazzi, I appointed myself barman for the day.

In the early 1970s, when I told our first head chef we had our first job for the Prince of Wales, he thought I meant the local pub!

Having any of the Royal Family aboard is always a proud moment. Selection for state occasions means we are a showcase for quality British design internationally.

What is your favourite time of year on the river and why?

I love the early spring, after the fleet have been freshly refurbished ready for the season. The easing of lockdown this year will hopefully make it one to remember.

What was your involvement in launching Thames Clippers?

In the 1980s, there were several failed attempts to establish a commuter service on the river.

I met Sean Collins when he was coaching my son, Tom, for the annual Doggett’s Coat and Badge Race for recently-qualified watermen. We thought we could do better and acquired a vessel from the defunct RiverBus venture, to launch Thames Clippers in 1999.

What drove you to build Woods Quay?

When I gained permission to build Savoy Pier in 1998, I truly felt we had a home.

But it’s been my dream since I was a young man to have a fleet based at the curve of the river in Westminster.

I am very proud of what we have achieved at Woods Quay. It’s highly satisfying to have created such a beautiful pavilion, where private charter guests can relax before boarding the Silver Sturgeon for an event.

As vessels with engines cannot have wedding licences in England, we are also very pleased to now have a wedding licence for Woods Quay.

With the unlocking of London hospitality from 12 April onwards, we look forward to innovative new types of events for smaller groups, such as micro weddings, private dinner parties and all those ‘lost celebrations’ with family and friends.

It will include christening Woods Quay with a bottle of champagne!

The Port of London Authority (PLA) has launched an Environment Fund to support community projects that will help improve the environment, in line with the goals of the river development framework, the Thames Vision.

Chief executive of the PLA, Robin Mortimer revealed the community-facing initiative at a Thames habitats webinar on Thursday, 18 March. The Environment Fund is the latest in a series of PLA climate- and ecology-related announcements in the first months of 2021. These include the launch of a Sustainable Innovation Fund to help develop and test new technology and setting up the Thames’ first tidal energy trial site.

The PLA is looking to assist projects that achieve specific objectives around Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) and litter. Small scale projects costing no more than £5,000 each, and that can be completed by December 2021, will be eligible to bid for support.

Robin Mortimer explained:

“Lockdown saw more people than ever discover the Thames and its banks as a fantastic space to relax and exercise. Now, with the Environment Fund, we’re set to help local people nurture these precious spaces even more closely. A mix of projects which tackle the ever-present menace of litter and the less visible, but no less troubling Invasive Non-Native Species, will make a genuine difference to the health of the river.”

Details of the bidding process are on the PLA website. Charities, NGO’s, universities and academia; and other not for profit organisations are able to propose schemes that meet one of the seven objectives. including eradicating an INNS in an area of the tidal Thames; and designing/trialling a new innovative method of macro and micro litter removal from the foreshore and water of the tidal Thames. The deadline for applications is 5.00 pm on Friday 28 May 2021.

The full list of objectives for the Fund is:

Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS)

Eradication of an INNS in an area of the tidal Thames
Trial of a new method for the management or eradication of an INNS on the tidal Thames
Relevant research into the life cycle, ecosystem interactions or spread of INNS on the tidal Thames with the aim of better informing eradication of the species in the tidal Thames.

Litter

Design and/or trial of a new innovative method of macro and micro litter removal from the foreshore and water of the tidal Thames
Research into the pathways of litter and pollution entering the Thames; including ways of managing these pathways
An educational programme relating to litter and its impacts on the environment.
A public awareness campaign to drive a long-lasting reduction in the amount of litter entering the tidal Thames
The Environment Fund is part of the PLA’s work to deliver the Thames Vision 2035, which aims to secure greater use of the Thames and see the river between Teddington Lock and the North Sea become the cleanest and most diverse since the Industrial Revolution.

The Fund is part of wider work aimed at habitat and amenity improvement. Last week the PLA announced a programme to restore an intertidal area Site of Special Scientific Interest at West Thurrock and has also supporting RSPB on the banks of the Thames in Essex and Kent.

The PLA is active in collecting litter from the river, supports Thames21’s volunteer foreshore clean ups and last year launched a website, Cleaning the Thames to help local people work together on local clean ups and record what they recover. The PLA’s driftwood service annually collects over 200 tonnes of litter from the river, including plastics. In 2019 the team recovered 70 Trolleys from one spot on the river. The PLA is working with DP World London gateway on an expansion of the driftwood service to the lower Thames.

Photo: On her maiden voyage, the HMM Algeciras called on the Port of London in June 2020. She was the first of a class of 12 container ships that have a capacity of 23,964 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). They were the largest container ships in the world when they were launched.

The Port of London was the biggest port in the UK last year, handling 47.4 million tonnes of cargo, ensuring that essential supplies were delivered uninterrupted to supermarkets, factories, forecourts and hospitals.

Terminals on the Thames handle a diverse range of cargoes including food, fuel, building materials and UK goods for export.

PLA chief executive, Robin Mortimer, explained:

“In a year in which UK ports all played a vital role in keeping the country fed, fuelled and supplied throughout the pandemic, we are proud that the Port of London handled the most cargo of any UK port.

“Last year saw a massive collective effort across the port, including from terminal operators, shipping lines, essential support services such as towage providers, and of course our own team. Working together we kept essential supply chains running, so medicines, food and fuel arrived without delay.”

Developments during the year included the completion of phase one of the Tilbury2 facility, providing expanded unaccompanied freight capacity ready for Brexit, continued growth in calls at London Gateway and CLdN expanding services to the continent as demand increased later in the year.

Overall trade in the Port of London fell to 47.4 million tonnes in 2020, down 12% from 54.0 million tonnes in 2019.

Thames freight scores again in bid to build back greener

A Thames barge operation, delivering roof parts for Fulham Football Club’s new Riverside Stand in west London, concluded on Wednesday 10 March. It’s the latest example of a major construction project using the river to reduce traffic on the capital’s road network.

The project’s use of the river has won praise from the Port of London Authority (PLA), who work to promote inland, waterborne freight, as part of its Thames Vision strategy.

Lucy Owen, deputy director of planning at the PLA said: “We applaud Fulham FC for their commitment to reducing pollution by floating in the trusses that will form the roof of their new stand.

“Along with Tideway’s continuing use of barges to build the new ‘super sewer’ deep beneath the riverbed, it underlines huge potential the tidal Thames has to help the country build back better and greener, post COVID-19.”

Alistair Mackintosh, Fulham Football Club CEO, said: “Fulham Football Club is situated in a beautiful location on the banks of the River Thames. We are excited to see good progress being made on the Riverside Stand, which will be wonderful for our historic ground and wider local area. Using the river to transport material has been advantageous in accessing the construction site whilst minimising disruption and pollution.”

The final trusses are due to be lifted into place later this month.

A site for trialling energy-generating technology, powered by the tidal Thames, has been established by the Port of London Authority (PLA).

The mooring at Gallion’s Reach between Woolwich and Thamesmead, south east London, close to London City Airport, will enable promoters to test approaches for safe, sustainable energy generation in tidal inland waterways.

Technology providers are being invited to arrange a slot to use the mooring each year, having secured all relevant consents.

The test site is normally passed by a variety of vessels, large and small, including cruise ships and commercial cargo ships, as well as recreational river users

Tanya Ferry, PLA head of environment, said: “Our research shows that the river could provide a power supply for operators and pier owners.

“Whilst traditional turbine technology is unlikely to be a viable option, due to the diminishing space available, this designated mooring provides developers opportunity to test other emerging technologies on the Thames.

“Safety is paramount. This site provides the best balance for safe trials, supported by a consenting regime to ensure negative impacts on wildlife and ecology are avoided too.”

Data from the trials will be used to inform future investment decisions.

The Port of London Authority (PLA) has launched its first Sustainable Innovation Fund as a catalyst for trials of new and emerging technology which provide solutions suitable for recognised needs on the tidal Thames.

The initial call for innovation relates to a PLA commitment to seek technical, operational and investment business partners to establish the port’s first zero emission berth. The target date for the berth to be operational is 2025, or before, subject to availability of suitable technology and finance.

The process for submitting expressions of interest is being hosted by KTN, as an extension of the Decarbonising Ports & Harbours Innovation Network that they run. KTN is an organisation expert in matching technology developers with people looking for solutions, commercial analysis and funding solutions.

PLA director of planning & environment, James Trimmer, said:

“The Sustainable Innovation Fund is a major commitment from the PLA to support the ‘green housing’ of new technology. As a Trust Port working to improve the river for future generations, this is part of our support for the transition to Net Zero.

“Our aim is to see new solutions, trialled and tested on the Thames, and then taken forward to grow the clean economy. Developing technology with users on the Thames will help ensure river operators are less likely face problems like stranded assets and misdirected investments.”

As one of the UK’s busiest rivers in the UK, used by a wide array of vessels from the world’s largest container ships to small passenger vessels, the Thames provides the ideal technology test bed.

Last autumn, the PLA committed to achieve Net Zero in its own operations by 2040, or earlier. In 2017 it was the first UK port to introduce a green tariff for cleaner vessels calling in the port, publish the first UK port evidence-based air quality strategy in 2018 and last year released a further UK first: a roadmap for emissions reduction from inland vessels operating on the river.

“Leadership of this sort will help sustain long-term green growth on the Thames,” added PLA chief financial officer, Julie Tankard. “The Innovation Fund will create greater investment certainty and speed up the drive to decarbonisation.”

More information about the call for proposals for a Mobile Power Supply for a Zero Emission Berth on the Thames is available on the KTN website: https://www.ktninnovationexchange.co.uk/.

The closing date for submissions is noon 30 April 2021.

Spring is in the air and with the end of lockdown in sight illustrator, writer and walker David Fathers is looking forward to getting back on the Thames Path.

Where were you born and where do you live?

I was born in the north-east of England. After studying for a degree in graphic design in Newcastle upon Tyne Polytechnic, I headed south and have lived in north London ever since.

How many books have you published linked to the Thames?

After completing my first illustrated walking guidebook, The Regent’s Canal (Frances Lincoln), I proposed two further water-based guidebooks to my publishers, and both were accepted. One of the titles was The London Thames Path. The Thames Path seemed such a natural choice after the canal book. The other title was London’s Hidden Rivers. To date The London Thames Path is my best-selling book.

The London Thames Path is my main Thames book, though London’s Hidden Rivers and The Regent’s Canal all make reference to and drain into the Thames.

What is your first memory of the Thames?

I was about ten years-old, when my parents brought me to London for a holiday. There is a photograph of myself with my mother and sister by the Thames just outside the Tower of London with warehouses and cranes visible on the south bank. This was the late 1960s, so by then most shipping activity in Pool of London Docks had ceased. The site with warehouses and cranes now occupied by the City Hall.

How many times have you walked the Thames Path?

I can’t begin to calculate the number of times I’ve walked the Thames Path. I like to take friends and family on walks along the river paths. There is always something new to see.

Have you been able to get to the Thames during lockdown?

I had planned a walk along the Thames from Kew to Teddington in April last year with some friends, but the first lockdown put paid to that.

What is it about the Thames Path that attracts walkers?

A walk along the Thames Path, away from the traffic is often peaceful and calm, and offers glorious views of London’s vast panoramas.

What about the Thames Path could be improved?

There are certain sections of the Thames Path that are closed to the public or where a riverside path simply doesn’t exist, for example on the western side of the Isle of Dogs and west of Queenhithe. I hope that these can be brought into the public domain sometime soon.

What is your favourite part of the Thames?

Without a doubt my favourite walk along the Thames Path is the stretch from Island Gardens to the Thames Barrier (it technically isn’t the Thames Path as it dips inland into the old royal docks – but there is no continuous riverside walk here. The walk takes in Trinity Buoy Wharf, Bow Creek, the Royal Victoria Dock and Pontoon Dock.  It’s is often very quiet and for most people who I take along this route it is usually there first experience of this part of London, even if they’ve lived in the capital for years. If I’m on my own I often carry a sketch book and draw the landscapes.

And your least favourite?

The former Deptford Royal Dockyard – it’s just a vast open piece of derelict ground by the Thames with a huge history. Created by Henry VIII, ships built here were involved in the Armada and the Battle of Trafalgar. But alas we have to walk the perimeter of the site and away from the Thames.

What three words would you use to describe the Thames?

Midwife of London.

What unusual sites have you seen along the Thames?

I consider myself very privileged to have descended twice into the Fleet section of the Bazalgette sewer, close to where it enters the Thames. At one point on one tour we could see the river begin to cascade over the enormous cast-iron sluice gate and into the sewer. Within an hour or so this sewer tunnel would be flooded. The engineering bricks that line the tunnels are in great conditions despite their age of 160 years.

Which part of the new public realm to be created by the Thames Tideway Tunnel are you most looking forward to seeing?

I’m looking forward viewing all the new public spaces that Thames Tideway Tunnel are creating. I’ll have to see them, as I’ll need to add them to the next edition of The London Thames Path.

When is you next book due to be published and what is it about?

My next book, Diverse London, is an illustrated walker’s guide into the history and culture of the major groups of immigrants who have made London their home over the past four hundred years. These are Huguenots, Jews, Afro-Caribbean’s, Chinese, Irish and South Asians. All the walks cover the issues each group found upon arrival in the capital and the positive contributions they have made. To be published by Bloomsbury in early 2022.

Find out more about David's work.

When the pandemic took hold, decimating passenger traffic on the river, City Cruises apprentice Beauty Marshall thought her career on the Thames was over - till the PLA threw her a lifeline.

As part of National Apprenticeship Week 2021, she shares her story and growing love for the river – as well as her tips for other school leavers considering their careers options.

“I grew up in Westminster and left school with ‘A’ levels in philosophy, psychology and sociology.

“I’d never really considered working on the river at all.

“As a child, it had not really played any part in my life.

“I was more into football and following Chelsea.

“But I joined City Cruises in November 2019, as cabin crew.

“Mum encouraged me to take up the opportunity. Friends were surprised, but were happy for me and supportive too.

“I first took an interest in what the crew did, arriving at different piers

“Captains and mates soon started teaching me how to tie up the boat, the different lines and how to do a pinch.

“Just when I thought I’d got that all learnt, the skippers kept on testing me on how we should come along side to dock.

“I mostly relied on the big yellow mooring buoys to tell me what direction to berth.

“Then I was shown the engine room and taught little things, such as the bridges, bowline knots, two turn half hitch knots.

“Day by day my interest grew, as well as my love for the river.

“I was soon captivated by it all.  

“I began to see the extent of what the work of masters and mates entails.  It really interested me.

“It's not as simple as just driving a boat in a straight line and throwing some ropes out.

“People think it’s easy, but I can assure everyone it’s not.”

Covid crisis

“Initially at the start of the pandemic, we were given time off, which was OK, even fun at first, but I quickly got bored.

“My motivation soon began to dwindle.

“Then as the economic impact of the crisis on the river deepened, City Cruises had to make me and others redundant.

“It was inevitable, but still hit me hard.

“I was devastated.

“I really thought my time on the river had come to an end.

“But luckily the PLA came to my rescue.

“They offered to take me on to serve out my apprenticeship with them.

“My City Cruises colleagues, Jeremie and Clemence, were in the same boat and luckily have been transferred over to the PLA too.

“We have been very fortunate and are very grateful to the PLA for taking us on.

Guiding light

“I'd personally like to thank the PLA.s Marine Training Manager Rachel De Bont for all the support and encouragement she gives to me and all the other the PLA’s apprentices.

“We all owe her big time and think the world of her.”

Best bit of the river?

“Definitely the middle district, from Greenwich to Westminster pier

“It’s where I started on the Thames.

“I have so many good memories of this stretch of the river.

“I am sure they will stay with me all my life.”

Career highlight?

“In November 2019, my training took me to Plymouth for a sea survival.  That was so much fun!

“We had to do an overnight challenge. It was a bit scary, driving out at night for the first time, but really cool to see all the regulation lights out. It really helped me develop my navigation skills.

“At City Cruises, I loved the bigger M2 vessels, driving the RIBs at high speed and working on the tourists’ tea time cruises.”

Future goals?

“By the time I am 32, I'd love to be a skipper.

“I’d also like to mentor other apprentices

“And maybe spend some time at sea, like my friend and colleague Scarlett, who is just starting a cadetship at Warsash Maritime School.

“I’d ’definitely like to explore other sectors within the maritime industry, to see where I want to specialise.

“At the PLA right now, I want to improve my navigation and driving skills. I'd like to explore the other departments in the PLA too.

“But my focus is getting my boatmasters’ licence.

“It will unlock so many future opportunities.”  

Advice to your younger self?

“Try your best to achieve the best grades you can. It will open more doors for you.

“Join a sports club, or learn a musical instrument, something you enjoy.

“And if you're not sure what you want to do, that's absolutely fine.

“It will come to you much later on in life.

“You'll change your mind about your dream job 100 times before you leave school.

“But it's always good to have a goal.

“I'd recommend looking into apprenticeship, as you will be learning and earning at the same time.

“Keep an open mind too.

“For any young Londoner considering their career options, I’d say the river under your nose could be a route to long and happy career.

“And to my fellow females, my advice would be don’t think a career on the river is just for boys!

“So far at least, I am having fun and learning so much.

“That’s got to be a good thing?”

“Only Chelsea winning the title again could top it.

“Maybe not…”