Party to thank supporters of boat festival

A PARTY was held to raise funds for a classic boat festival that will return to Henley this summer.

Lady McAlpine hosted more than 50 guests at her home in Fawley Hill to mark the launch of the Thames Traditional Boat Festival, which will be held in Fawley Meadows in July.

The event, now in its 46th year, features a number of classic and traditional crafted boats, including restored vintage vessels, steam launches and a number of Dunkirk Little Ships.

It also includes a number of vintage, amphibious, and military vehicles as well as live music, food and a dog show. Members of the festival committee, along with its sponsors and volunteers, enjoyed drinks and nibbles at the launch on Thursday last week. Lady McAlpine said that she wanted to give back to the event’s supporters as well as drum up support for the festival. She said: “All this is a way of saying thank you.

“We are fully underway for this year, with tickets on sale since October. “The Trad” grows every year which is good but, of course, the expense grows too.”

Lady McAlpine first took over the running of the festival in 2015 and now co-chairs the event with businessman Adam Toop.

The Boat Festival was first held at Fawley Meadows in 1978 as a rally for like-minded enthusiasts. Lady McAlpine described the festival as “unique”, as it is the only one held on the Henley, Oxfordshire bank of the river. She said: “It used to be if you owned a boat, you went to play and now it’s a full-blown three-day festival. It’s very much for families, which to me is very important.”

Mr Toop, who is also chief judge, said the contributions of its sponsors were important to keep the festival accessible and open to a wide audience.

He said: “We try so hard to make this the most inclusive riverside event in Henley. That means that the gate prices are consciously very very low.”

The Traditional Boat Festival will run from Friday, July 18 to Sunday, July 20. For more information, visit www.tradboatfestival.com