Thames Leisure Boat Hire Blog

Reports by the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) have indicated that the eel population of the River Thames has fallen by 97% in the last five years.

It is feared that the drop in numbers could have a dramatic affect on other forms of wildlife, such as birds and fish in the river’s fragile eco system.

Eels embark on an incredible journey, swimming thousands of miles from the North Atlantic’s Sargasso Sea, all the way to Europe. Climate change, man made structures like dams, as well as changes in ocean currents have all been attributed with aiding the decline of eel numbers in the Thames.

As well as playing an important part in the River Thames’ eco system, eels have had a major role in East End culture for centuries. In the eighteenth century eels were so common in the Thames that nets were set up to catch them as far up the river as central London itself. Back then eels provided a cheap source of food for much of the working class of East London.

This dish is the real deal* (*cockney rhyming slang for eels)

Eel Pie and Mash Houses have always been extremely popular in the East End and at the end of the World War II there were around one hundred in East London. Due to changes in taste and increasing prices there are far fewer eel dining establishments than there once was; although they are still a big part of the area’s culture.

Dagenham-based boxer Kevin Mitchell said he will give up eels to help the numbers increase and raise awareness for their plight, he has also encouraged his fellow cockneys to do the same. “The East End wouldn’t be the same without them, and if my next fight can help save them then that’s great,” He said.

All of Thames Leisure’s boat hire on the River Thames can take you to the East End where you can enjoy jellied eels and mash for lunch anytime!

There are two really exciting shows this February in London that Thames Leisure boat hire always looks forward to.

Firstly, if you love weddings as much as we do, then The National Wedding Show is an absolute must. The three day event at London Earls Court from the 19th to 21st February will offer an amazing opportunity for wedding day inspiration, ideas and solutions to plan the perfect big day.
 

Image by www.exhibitor.com

 We absolutely love weddings at Thames Leisure and have many years experience in organising the perfect wedding on the Thames for you.
For more information visit www.thenationalweddingshow.co.uk

And…

Secondly, the International Confex 2010 from the 23rd to 25th February at Earls Court is key for those who work in or appreciate the events industry.

For three insightful days Confex offers an ideal place to catch up with existing contacts and make new ones. It showcases providers of venues, destinations and event support services both in the UK and internationally.

Image by www.international-confex.com

Those organising an event this year should come down for inspiration, ideas and solutions from the exhibition in order to make their event a success. The 2009 event was a huge triumph with nearly 15,000 visitors and this year the eager crowds are expected to reach 20,000.

Our events team will be popping down there to discover the latest industry trends and hopefully complete some business!
If you’re considering an unforgettable party on the Thames then our team would relish the opportunity to help plan and deliver your party requirements.

For more information visit www.international-confex.com

Art, as we know, is subjective and our eyes are the true judge when deciding what simply looks good or bad. But when art appears conspicuously in the public domain, does subjectivity still come into it?

In recent years we’ve seen a number of high profile art installations protrude the UK’s landscape. In 1998, The Angel of the North, created eccentric sculptor Anthony Gormley, was erected on Tyneside, sparking both controversy and marvel. However, with over 90,000 visitors every day, either from the east coast mainline railway or sweeping A1, clearly its introduction has been a success story.

In the autumn of 2006, Gormley then masterminded ‘Another Place’, a series of cast iron, life-size figures scattered nearly two miles along the Merseyside coast line. Many locals accused Gormley of public invasion and disregard to conservation, while a minority, more notably The South Sefton Development Trust and local authorities, praised the artist for his vision and creativity.

If you don’t live in the North, then these unusual art forms will hardly cause you to lose any sleep, but what if something similar did happen closer to home? Well, if like us you reside on or near the River Thames, then your eyes and opinion are about to be tested.

Image from londoniscool.com

Gormley has transferred his sculpturing skills to the capital and constructed ‘Quantum Cloud’, a collaboration of steel pieces intricately welded together. According to Gormley the piece represents his mind, but again has been condemned for corrupting a susceptible landscape. Whatever people’s opinions, the structure is staying indefinitely and is another controversial success story for the sculptor.

We think that it looks rather good, and as long as it encourages people to the area and doesn’t affect the environment, then we don’t have a problem with it!

We’re offering a 20% discount off Thames Leisure boat hire throughout February and March on all of our vessels, which means you’ll be able to see this new landmark, as well as a whole host of London’s oldest and most famous ones.

Chinese New Year is such a huge festival among Chinese communities in London and a whole host of cities around the world. Based on the lunar and solar calendars, the actual date of Chinese New Year varies, but always falls between late January and mid February.

This year, the National Maritime Museum (NMM) will be showing a collection of Chinese objects with various dates throughout February, which means you can celebrate the Year of the Tiger at these fantastic free events. On the 18th February, there will be a special day of celebrations in collaboration with Greenwich Chinese Community School, with a range of activities and amazing performances.

Get your dragons ready for Chinese New Year in London

Also, Museum in Docklands will be putting on a series of events on 6, 13, 14 and 21st February to celebrate the Year of the Tiger. Explore the Museum in Docklands’ galleries to discover how London’s Chinese community developed,  as well as the historical importance of trade between London and China. Highlights include guided walks, tea tasting, film screenings, family-friendly workshops and a Variety Show featuring the Harrow Children Dance Group.

Thames Leisure boat hire has several boat party bookings during February to celebrate the Year of the Tiger. There’s no better way to appreciate the revelry than on the river Thames!

For further information visit www.nmm.ac.uk

Our new wedding packages for 2010 are now on our website fully updated from last year’s offerings! We update our packages annually to offer something fresh to newly engaged couples planning their special day, and what better way to celebrate their nuptials than with a cruise aboard a luxury pleasure boat on the spectacular River Thames?

In an effort to beat the credit crunch we’ve designed an even more affordable wedding package aboard our vessel the Tideway, as well as all new packages for the Miyuki Maru, The William B and the Dutch Master. Each package can be booked as seen, or tailor made to your individual requirements.

As is typical of this time of year we’re already receiving a high number of wedding enquiries for the early spring and summer months, so why not see how Thames Leisure boat hire can host the perfect wedding on the Thames this year.

You can simply contact us by phone (020) 7623 1805 or by email Rachel@thamesleisure.co.uk for adept advice and to benefit from our exclusive offers over the coming months.

We hope to see you aboard soon!

We would like to take this opportunity to say a big Happy New Year to all our clients past and present, as well as all our suppliers and hardworking staff. We enjoyed a successful, extremely busy Christmas and New Year with some great parties over the festive period. In comparison with last year, our private charter office parties were on the increase as were our ticketed parties for smaller groups, which were very well received.

New Year went with a bang courtesy of the magnificent fireworks display from the London Eye. Our boats The Tideway, The Miyuki Maru and the William B all had fantastic moorings on the river close to the display, affording guests the best possible views.

All eyes were on London over New Year

The Dutch Master was filled to capacity with a great crowd courtesy of regular client ‘Smartie Partie’ with all aboard enjoying a fantastic DJ-led event. We look forward to hosting their monthly Thames parties again throughout 2010.

We are currently offering 20% off our chartered rates for party boat hire during January, February and March on all vessels – hurry while we have the spaces!

Thames Leisure boat hire relishes being immersed in the exciting and unpredictable London community. We’re extremely lucky and proud to have so much occurring on our door step, and with so many key events happening during 2010, we want to make sure that you’re kept up to speed with what’s on in and around the capital.

Each month we will suggest a significant date in the London calendar that you should get involved in or attend. We like nothing more than supporting and inspiring local businesses, organisations and projects that make this a truly fantastic city to live, visit and appreciate.

London International Boat Show: time to show your boats

From the 8th to the 17th January the immensely popular Tullett Prebon London International Boat Show will be dropping its anchor at Excel and is guaranteeing to be even bigger that last year’s event. 2009 witnessed over a million boat lovers enjoy the profusion of boats, accessories, equipment and product launches; affording it the most successful boat show to date. However, organisers are quietly confident that this year’s spectacle is going to supersede the triumph of 2009 with the help of a few surprises up their sleeves. Word on the water is that several major power boat manufacturers are going to wow revelers with their latest glamorous models; adding to the current buzz and glitz surrounding the highly anticipated show.

If you book now you can obtain a two day show ticket for £21.00 (£30.00 at the gate), or if you fancy pushing the boat out (sorry) then the Platinum ticket for £85.00 will allow you to enjoy a buffet lunch, VIP car parking space, private bar and a whole host of other exclusive treats. Hurry as tickets are going fast – you don’t want to miss the first major boating experience of 2010 do you!

For more information visit www.londonboatshow.com

We are currently offering 20% off our chartered rates for party boat hire during January, February and March on all vessels!

Clearly we are a nation under-prepared for such harsh weather conditions, with the irrepressible snow causing major transport problems across London in the last 36 hours.

We have a seemingly birds eye view here at Thames Leisure, as cars, buses, taxis and pedestrians collectively struggle, slip and stall on the treacherous roads. As much as we love the snow and how beautiful it makes the surrounding landscape, it is unfortunately outweighed by the devastation it causes to our transport infrastructure.

We don’t wish to rub rock salt in the icy wound, but the only place that appears to be remotely unaffected by the white stuff are the very waters that Thames Leisure boat hire reside. The river Thames is presently the only real active vein running through London’s clogged arteries, and judging by the imminent weather, it will be for several days ahead. We just hope that it doesn’t get too bad…

Feel free to send us your photos of snowy London to info@thamesleisure.co.uk and if they really capture the winter chaos in the capital we’ll feature them on our blog.

We’ll let you know the minute the river Thames freezes over….in the meantime be safe!

 Thames Leisure boat hire are proud supporters of Demelza Hospice Care for Children and we’re pleased to announce two new events we will be hosting for them during 2010.  The first will be a cruise for the children, their families and carers to provide the children with some afternoon fun, as well as recognising all the hard work provided by the nursing teams.

The other event will be a fundraiser to try to raise money and awareness for this all important charity. We will be updating this blog with all the key dates and information for their forthcoming events and hope that you will join us in supporting them in 2010.

(registered charity no: 1039651)

Demelza Hospice Care for Children was set up by Derek and Jennifer Phillips following the death of their daughter, Demelza from a brain tumour at the age of 24. Demelza worked at Acorn’s children’s hospice in Birmingham and the couple realised the South East was in dire need of a similar facility.

The charity offers: short residential breaks and day care at Demelza Kent and Demelza South East London and community care through the hospice at home care nursing team, based in East Sussex. The Demelza Community team provides a hospice at home service for children in East Sussex and South West Kent with life-threatening and life-limiting illness and their families. Specialist pediatric nurses go directly into the family home to provide care, crisis intervention, an on-call service and respite.

Demelza Community also has a personal story behind its inception, it began as James House following the death of James Gooch aged 11 years from a rare and incurable genetic disorder. The merger with Demelza in 2004 saw the name change to Demelza James and it is now known as Demelza Community. Demelza Kent is an eight-bedded hospice in Sittingbourne, Kent, providing respite, symptom control, end-of-life care and bereavement support. Life-limited children and their families benefit from a wide range of facilities which include a multi-sensory room, soft play area, a jacuzzi, and the inclusion zone for young adults.

At the end of the child’s illness, we offer a comprehensive service of support using a bereavement suite – known as the Hop Garden – which enables a family to let go and say goodbye at their own pace. We share our expertise in childhood bereavement with organisations such as the Police and charity ‘CRUSE’.

Our new hospice in Eltham, South East London was officially opened in June by Demelza Vice Presidents and Olympic champions Jayne Torvill and Robin Cousins. The six bedded unit offers a range of services including short breaks and accommodation for families, day care, end of life care and bereavement services.  Demelza gets little financial support from the Government so relies heavily on the support of the community in terms of fundraising and also volunteering.

Over 900 volunteers help out in all areas of the charity from cooking and gardening to housekeeping. We also run an advanced volunteering programme where volunteers work within the care department. Our 12 charity shops across the area also rely heavily on volunteer staff members. We are excited that this figure will soon go up to 13 with the opening of a new shop in Battle.

If you’re feeling lucky and want a different way to support Demelza, we have a weekly lottery. For just £1 a week you have a chance to win a jackpot of £1,000. And if you had any doubt what a difference Demelza’s work makes to our families listen to the words of Marie Baker from Eastbourne, who uses the community nursing service for her daughter, Aimee. Aimee, who is four, has a rare condition called Dravet Syndrome which causes her to have uncontrollable, and potentially fatal fits.

Mum, Marie says: “Demelza has been a lifeline for our family since Aimee became ill.  We can leave Aimee with a pediatric nurse confident that she is being well looked after and that appropriate treatment will be undertaken in an emergency. “We are also secure in the knowledge that when Aimee is with one of her Demelza nurses she is having fun and doing all those things that other children experience. 

“We have support at the end of the phone whenever we need, not just for Aimee but for our other daughter, Katie.  Demelza allows us to enjoy Aimee and cherish every moment that we have with her”.

For more information about Demelza call (01795) 845288 or visist www.demelza.org.uk

Last month we launched our ‘Boat Party of the Month’ competition, asking our clients to enter their party pics into our monthly draw to select the best photos to go into our blog spot. 

October’s best boat party pictures (without question!) were sent in by Paul Raymond Publishing. They held their annual fancy dress boat party on the Miyuki Maru at the end of October as a thank you to staff for their hard work throughout the year. Guests were greeted with a complimentary glass of bubbly, followed by one of our delicious hot and cold fork buffets, as well as dancing to our resident DJ throughout the evening. Judging by these fantastic party snaps everyone aboard had an evening on the Thames to remember!

If you think that your boat party on the Thames was even more entertaining, please send us your pictures to info@thamesleisure.co.uk and we will show them on our blog next time!