We hope that you and your families are all staying well and managing in these challenging times.
A lot has changed in the last few months.  Here is the June update to keep you informed on where things stand with the River Thames Boat Project.

The staff team returned from a period of furlough on the 1st June for a 2 week handover with Peter and the opportunity to regroup, review plans and reconnect with clients. This included time for Sophie on both boats and she is now a proficient skipper for Thames Discoverer. Sophie and Peter also reviewed the status of our volunteer group and plans for volunteering going forward. This will include crew training in the autumn for both cruises and education days, provided we are able to recommence our activities.

There was a Trustee and full staff team meeting on the 8th June via Zoom to discuss plans for the next few months. This was followed by a meeting, also on Zoom, to share these plans with volunteers.

Feedback from our client groups and other organisations that we partner with, confirmed that they are cautious but many are keen to be back on the river with us, as soon as government guidelines allow and it is safe for them. The situation remains fluid and we will keep connected and adjust our plans accordingly. We know that the benefits of time on the river on our boats will be very much appreciated after so much time in isolation.

We were sad to say goodbye to Peter after his fantastic contribution to the charity for the last 13 years. We wish him well in his new role. We are happy to welcome Captain Gunnar Christensen to the team as Interim Boat Manager. Gunnar’s key responsibilities over the coming months will be the management, safety, upkeep and maintenance of our boats as well as being on-call resource in the event of any emergencies. He is a Teddington local and volunteers for the RNLI as a senior lifeboat crew member at Teddington.

We are cautiously optimistic that it will be possible to resume some activities from late September, particularly educational activities. With that in mind, the plan for the next 2 months, is for a further period of furlough for Pippa, Kate and Sophie over the summer. Kate and Pippa are likely to return in August and Sophie at the beginning of September. This will allow us to be fully prepared for resuming some level of activities. By August, we expect to have a much clearer view on further changes to government guidelines and how the return to school will be managed.

The next Trustees’ meeting is on the 13th July following which there will be a further update via email and a Zoom call for Volunteers on the 17th July.

It is a constantly changing landscape, and we will continue to review our strategy and our plans as things develop nationally, and adjust and modify them accordingly.
Special time on the river will be possible again and we all look forward to it very much.
Until then, stay safe,
All the best from the RTBP team