We all know and love the Thames. Or do we? A Richmond-based trust has been working hard for 13 years to show that there is much more to discover and enjoy about our local river - and why we shouldn’t take it for granted.
The Father Thames Trust was set up by locals of Richmond upon Thames and Kingston in 1996 and has donated a total of £865,000 to London’s Arcadia project. The project aims to educate people about the Thames and help them make the most of it by increasing and improving access to it.
Richmond Council has praised the Trust for its recent generous donation of £90,000. Councillor Serge Lourie, leader of Richmond Council, said: “On behalf of all partners in the scheme, I would very much like to thank the Father Thames Trust for this outstanding work. This kind of generosity ensures we are able to keep our borough’s green spaces in first-rate condition and among the best in London.”
The Arcadia is the largest space of its kind in London, covering the stretch of the Thames running from Teddington beneath Richmond Hill to Kew. It has one of the highest concentrations of historic buildings, landscape gardens, famous avenues and vistas in England.
Richmond Council is one of the project’s key partners and has enticed volunteers of all ages to give up almost 50,000 hours of work across 100 different conservation schemes to help preserve the Thames as the heart of the community and the nexus of outdoor activity in the borough.
If you would like to see some of the improvements that have been made so far, you can browse the Thames Landscape Strategy photo gallery at http://thames-landscape-strategy.org.uk/imagegallery.
Or, better still, head down to the river bank and see for yourself!
