Four of the grant recipients: From left, And Fitness for All, Sea-Change Sailing Trust, Laburnum Boat Club, Fulham Reach Boat Club
A new £150,000 wave of Active Thames grants is supporting projects that encourage sport and exercise on the tidal Thames and other waterways across London, Kent and Essex.
The majority of the grants target groups less likely to be active, including people with disabilities and long-term health conditions.
Our Sports Manager, Jenny Cooper-Low, said: “We’re really excited to support so many ambitious community projects this year, creating a more inclusive and accessible Thames, which is a core commitment of our Thames Vision 2050 strategy.”
Outside of London, the latest grant recipients include:
Southend Association of Voluntary Services: £20,000, supporting local programmes across six sports, culminating with Active Southend-on-Thames event days, offering the public the chance to participate, guided by experienced instructors.
In the capital, this year’s beneficiaries include:
Barn Elms Boathouse, managed by Enable Leisure: £4,000 giving adults with long-term health conditions the opportunity to learn a new skill, get active outdoors, and connect with others in a positive environment.
This new round of Active Thames funding takes the total distributed to community groups since 2021 to £390,000.
Hot on the heels of Bexley, Tower Hamlets and Newham are the latest Thames boroughs to be the focus of a PLA consultation on a Masterplan to maximise the tidal riverside’s potential.
Mike Atkins, our Senior Planner (pictured), explained: “This is a chance for local people in Tower Hamlets and Newham to have their say on guiding investment decisions related to the river on their doorstep.”
A new agreement has been signed to continue the export of grain via the Port of Tilbury.
The port’s five-year deal with Frontier Agriculture will give the company’s farmer customers in the south east “further confidence in the long-term availability of access to export marketing options for their produce” said Grain Director, Simon Christensen.
In collaboration with the Metropolitan River Police, the Thames Skills Academy is hosting an Action Counters Terrorism (ACT) awareness session (25 January), as part of the new Thames CPD training programme for river workers.
The two-hour, in-person session will take place at Watermen’s Hall and earn participants five CPD points.
PC Paul Jacobs from the Marine Policing Unit said: “It is essential for Thames workers to be alert to the risk of terrorism on the river.
“This important course covers knowing what to look for and how to report suspicious activity.”
The work of PLA pilots guiding large vessels up and down the river was featured on Times Radio (9 January).
In the first edition of an Odd Jobs feature, Sea Pilot Nick Brown highlighted to Matt Chorley the wider PLA team effort involved in sustaining our 24/7 pilotage operation, including VTS and the pilot cutter crews, who ferry the pilots to and from the visiting ships.
The pilot role involves getting on and off the visiting vessels at all times of day and in all weathers, often via a steep ladder. Rough conditions can delay the disembarkation process.
Nick explained it takes about six to seven years for master mariners with experience around the world to qualify to take charge of the safe navigation of the very largest vessels on the river.
He concluded the interview by saying: “I love my job. I think it’s one of the best in the world.”
A New Year’s Eve shift on the river heralded the start of 2024 for RNLI volunteer, Storm Smith-Suckoo.
In our latest People of the Thames profile, Storm, a Second Officer with Trinity House, charts how the river has shaped his career.
Stepping stones to his current role have included discovering sailing at the AHOY Centre, Deptford, and a school’s work experience placement with the PLA.
Storm explains: “I am the first member of my family to have links with the river and the world of maritime.
“As a kid, growing up in Charlton, it was not a pathway I would ever have thought to pursue, but it is now central to my life.”
Storm’s message to anyone thinking about following in his footsteps is simply: “Do it!!”
He added: “The skills you learn and the people you get to meet are second to none.
“No two days are ever the same.”
Storm’s ambition is to return to the PLA as pilot.
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