The Twickenham River Centre – Project Summary

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The Environment Trust’s proposal is for a community building open to people of all ages and all backgrounds, which is physically and inherently linked to the river environment. It will be managed by a company limited by guarantee, with a board representative of the local organisations specialising in environmental work and education, river-based businesses and charities promoting recreational use of the river, and an established commercial café.

The benefits to the community

• Opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to gain hands-on experience of the river environment and ecology on the foreshore, or afloat.
• Information on the principles and practice of sustainability made available to people of all ages through display and education in a good-quality sustainable building.
• Opportunity to see and participate in boat building, repair and maintenance in a working boathouse.
• Facilities for boat hire, with a pontoon on the river, openly accessible to the public.
• A link to Twickenham’s heritage as a port through the animation of its waterfront and local historic interpretation integral to the building.
• Security of the street scene through the presence of a waterman, the environmental organisations based there, and the Centre’s users.
• A community café open to the public.
• Participation in the Community Toilet Scheme.

The key functions

• A home for biodiversity education, especially related to the river, provided by organisations such as Thames Explorer Trust, River Thames Boat Project, Richmond’s Biodiversity Action Plan and London Wildlife, and sustainability education provided by Richmond’s Local Agenda 21 Network, Eco-Action and other agencies.
• A demonstration eco-building for sustainability education.
• Promotion of understanding of the functions of the tidal river through river safety training by RNLI, and exhibits by the Environment Agency and a link through displays to local water-based activities and clubs.
• A home for BTCV, the Environment Trust, RCVS Volunteers Centre and Richmond Environment Network with its educational outreach work through the Schools Environment Forum and a centre for training of volunteers.
• A home for HANDS (Help a Neighbour in Distress), a charity providing support and opportunities for social interaction to elderly and housebound people.
• A centre for the promotion of the Thames Landscape Strategy Hampton to Kew and its projects, such as the Environment Agency’s Floodscape and Water Framework Directive.
• Multi-purpose spaces for the activities of all of the above, and for other local organisations and events such as Twickenham Festival, Twickenham Rowing Club, and for Asian water funerals.
• Permanent display linking to river-based sites in the upper Thames such as Henley River & Rowing Museum and the lower Thames, such as Ahoy Centre Deptford Creek, Docklands Museum.
• A winter boathouse for the Queen’s Shallop Jubilant.
• Boathouse facilities for teaching the construction of the Great River Race Jolly Boat, and for small-scale repairs.
• Waterfront pontoon for hire of small electric boats, for short-term mooring for visiting boats and for Eel Pie Island Slipways’ Asian water funerals.

Project development team

The Environment Trust with its partners BTCV, Richmond Environment Network and Thames Landscape Strategy will develop the project.

Want to get involved?

If you are interested in the River Centre and would like to find out more about using the Centre when it is up and running, or if you would like to offer help and support during the development stages, then do call the Environment Trust office on 020 8891 5455 or e-mail us.