Riverwatch: Art and river craft

Sep 22 2009 With Mort Smith, Surrey Herald

IN MAY this year, I reported on a walk by artist Sue Bailey and photographer Pamela Chapman-Burrell from the source of the river down to the Thames Barrier which was designed to raise money for a very worthwhile charity - the Thames Boat Project.

The charity, which is based in Richmond, aims to make the river more accessible for the disabled, the disadvantaged and those who would not normally have a chance to get out on the water.

It operates a converted barge, the Richmond Venturer, which regularly takes up to 12 people on trips on the Thames or provides a base where schoolchildren can learn about the river and its wildlife.

The pair of walkers stopped periodically along their way for Sue to draw or paint a picture and for Pamela to take photographs. In doing so they produced a pictorial diary of their trip and the pictures were put up for sale.

The walk took 21 days to complete and Sue produced more than 80 paintings and drawings. She told me: "I served my apprenticeship as a fashion illustrator, where you have to be pretty swift, and I've never lost that ability. I'd been talking about doing something like it for some time. Originally, I was going to walk the south coast, painting as I went.

Then, through Pamela, I was introduced to the Thames Boat Project and thought it was a worthwhile project that needed support and the idea for the Thames walk was born."

The pair had raised more than £4,000 before their exhibition at Roehampton University recently and Sue was delighted to sell a significant number of her pictures - priced between £45 and £420 - with the proceeds also added to the fund.

Because of the level of interest, Sue and Pamela are now contemplating turning the Richmond Venturer into a floating gallery, journeying back up the Thames from Richmond to Staines so the public can look at the artwork.

"We hope to put that together in April or May next year," said Pamela.

Miranda Jaggers, manager of the boat project, is thrilled by the support and remains keen to spread the word about the possibilities of schools and disabled groups making use of Venturer.

"This has been a brilliant idea and we've appreciated the support from Sue and Pamela," she said. "We hope to produce new schools packages so they can bring pupils to the boat. We'll moor somewhere convenient for the school - and teach them about the river."

And when I receive details of the 'floating gallery's' journey, I'll include them in Riverwatch. Meanwhile, if you'd like to find out more about the Thames Boat Project, visit www.thamesboatproject.org