A Thames boat charity based in South-West London was awarded the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service yesterday (June 2) in recognition of its outstanding voluntary work in the community.

The River Thames Boat Project , which has a mooring in Kingston, runs therapeutic cruises for people of all ages with disabilities and older people via its two wheelchair accessible community boats, the Thames Venturer and Thames Discoverer.

It also provides environmental education days for children in Teddington Lock, where its head office is located.

The small local charity has 70 volunteers and 4 full-time staff, and has been running for over 30 years, reaching 3,000 people in in 2018 alone .

Responding to the news of its award, Jon Chapman, Chair of Trustees said: "We are truly delighted that River Thames Boat Project's work in the local community has been recognised with such a prestigious award.

"Special time on the river on our boats Thames Venturer and Thames Discoverer will be even more appreciated and valuable this year after all that has happened in the past year or so.

"Our volunteers are a fantastic and highly dedicated group who carry out numerous roles for us, including skippering the boats, crewing, environmental education, boat maintenance, helping in the office, client development, fundraising and helping at events.

"The work that we do would simply not be possible without these devoted, energetic and warm-hearted individuals."

As part of the award, two volunteers from the charity will attend a garden party at Buckingham Palace in May next year (2022) though this is dependent on social distancing restrictions.

The Queen's Award for Voluntary Service was created in 2002 to celebrate the Queen's Golden Jubilee, and is the highest award that can be given to a voluntary group or charity in the UK.

241 charities were given the award this year and the River Thames Boat Project will receive it formally in a ceremony later this year presided over by Gillian Norton OBE DL, Representative Deputy Lieutenant in the London Borough of Richmond.

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