Brentford & Isleworth MP Urges Residents to Celebrate The River
Ruth Cadbury says she will be taking an active part in this year's TideFest
Ruth Cadbury MP in a kayak on the Thames
Brentford and Isleworth MP Ruth Cadbury has said that she expects to be fully entering into TideFest 2017 the annual river event which this year is based at Strand-on-the-Green in Chiswick on Sunday 10 September.
She said: "We are so lucky to have the River Thames right here on our doorstep and we should celebrate all the river has to offer. When a get a chance I love to go both kayaking and paddleboarding and I expect I’ll be having another go at TideFest this year. I hope plenty of people will come along and join in the fun. TideFest really does have something for everyone."
TideFest 2017 will have activities at Richmond, Chiswick Pier, Brentford, Barnes, Deptford, Hackney, Beckton, and other locations along the Thames Tideway. The festival is now an established River Thames event which aims to highlight the recreational importance of the Thames to Londoners and encourage people to 'enjoy the river'. It is part of the month long Totally Thames Festival and is sponsored by Thames Water and Tideway, the company delivering the new Thames Tideway Tunnel.
There will be lots of activities for all the family, including foreshore walks, angling competition, paddleboarding, river dipping, kayaking, river ecology experts from London Wildlife Trust’s 'Dragonfly Detectives', nature reserve visits, stalls and displays, talks and film showings, live fish tanks, local artists, food, music, and generous discounts off admissions to the London Museum of Water and Steam.
The local MP will be joining Hounslow Council Leader Steve Curran and Mayor of Hounslow Sue Sampson at the annual celebration.
Steve Curran added: "The TideFest event is a perfect way for our residents to enjoy the River Thames. If you get a chance to go along, I would certainly recommend it. We are very proud to have the Thames running through our borough and strongly support every opportunity there is to deliver access for local people.”
TideFest is organised by a coalition of organisations led by the Angling Trust, River Thames Society, and London Wildlife Trust. TideFest organiser, Martin Salter from the Angling Trust, said: "TideFest is a growing event and is now in its fourth year with a host of new attractions including film shows, live music, visits to Deptford Creek, and to Thames Water’s Beckton Nature Reserve. TideFest aims to help reconnect Londoners with their river and judging from the crowds last year, more and more people are realising what an amazing resource we have in the heart of our capital city.”
This year there’s lots on offer for boating enthusiasts including boat trips around the Thames Tideway islands, leaving from Kew Pier on the historic Thames launch the Windrush. There is also a tour and exhibition on Thames boatbuilding at the Lot’s Ait boatyard in Brentford – venue for the filming of the African Queen starring Humphrey Bogart and Katherine Hepburn plus a talk and film about what is really like to live on board a Thames houseboat organised by the Chiswick Pier Trust. In addition there will be the Watertrek Charity Paddle and Guided History Paddle to Old Isleworth and taster sessions for those new to kayaking and paddleboarding organised from the Boating Arch at Kew Bridge by Active 360 and Edge Paddling.
All the booking information and details are on the Thames Tidefest website.
August 22, 2017