Thames Relay Leg 2 – Date: Thursday 1st September 2016, Start Time: 17.30
This is some amazing news! We have worked in partnership with Source to Sea to help organise our local leg of the Thames Relay Paddle this year. Last year when paddling the river we happened to meet two women who were paddling the length of the Thames for charity. This year they are at it again but this time getting more people involved to paddle segments each day. Being near the start of the Thames we are helping to orgainise the 1st paddleboard leg and take the baton over from the guys cycling from Thames Head (source of the Thames) to Lechlade (start of boat navigable Thames). Then we are taking the batton down river 17Km to Radcot Lock to hand over to a representative for the next day of paddling going from Radcot onwards.
If you want to get involved with any of the other legs please find all the details on the Thames Relay website.
So do you want to get involved in this?
If you have your own board?
Board and river licence then you just need to read the Risk Assessment and terms document fill in the event form and get to the start point on time. download the event form here. If you want to park at Radcot (Grass Carpark, Swan Hotel, Radcot OX18 2SX – please support them by getting a post paddle pint) and get a lift to Lechlade for the start then please book this with us. We are asking for a £5 donation to charity for the lift you can donate more if you wish?
If you want to hire a board?
We have some boards available for hire but limited numbers please reserve as soon as possible. Hire is £20 for the evening including lift from Radcot to Lechlade for the start. Contact us on 01793 523255 to reserve a hire board.
Want to join the paddle in another craft?
We are using this to promote exercise and paddling on our waterways and you can join us in any non-powered craft if you wish. Please note you will need to arrange your own boat transport as we aren’t setup for large items.
Raising money for Charity
We are also trying to raise money for Brighter Futures building the local Radiotherapy unit in Swindon which is desperately needed. This is ATBShop’s chosen charity for all our events this year as we hope to raise as much as possible. All money donated on the day is going towards this charity without any admin or costs deducted.
River Health and Plastic Pollution
The Source 2 Sea River Relay this year is focussing on plastic polution and the health of the river. We would love for all participants to make a pledge to the #oneless campaign, which aims to rid London of single use plastic water bottles by 2021. To make the #OneLess pledge – take a selfie with your favourite refillable bottle and tweet it #OneLess, @onelessbtl. If you would prefer to donate to a water based charity then the relay is also supporting Thames21 a charity to look after the river Thames.
Support Crew.
We will have some people who are going to be meeting us part way down the river to give some energy and drink to the paddlers and if needed for emergencies. If you are able to donate some time and want to help with out paddling please let us know. 🙂
The Legal and Health and Safety Part
This is a physical hard work water based event and when we timed the route it takes approximatly 3.5-4hrs of paddling to make the trip. Due to the start time it is likely to be getting dark near the finish. You must be a confident paddleboarder and have appropriate safety equipment plus be a confident swimmer. Please read the terms document and ensure you have the correct licence to use the river (normally thames environment agency licence or membership to national club that includes thames river access). Please also read the Risk Assessment for the paddle route. On the day we would recommend taking a wetbag on your board to include dry clothing, jumper, mobile phone, drink, chocolate bar, towel. We also recommend you have shoes for walking around the locks with the board. A leash is also needed for portage at the locks on route.
River Registration Licence
You do need a river registration or licence to paddle the thames. There are a couple of options. You can either just get a thames licence by filling this form in and sending back. Or you can join the british canoe club and you get licence on all the waterways in the UK. There are other canoe clubs too that offer the same deal.
