River relay returns for third year

THE Source to Sea river relay is passing through Henley and South Oxfordshire for the third year running.

A bottle of water from the source of the Thames arrived at Benson Lock yesterday (Thursday) on its journey from Kemble in Gloucestershire to the capital.

It will be taken to Goring Lock today by members of the Outdoor Swimming Society and tomorrow afternoon Goring Gap Boat Club will escort it to Caversham Lock.

On Sunday morning members of the Thames Traditional Boat Society will row it to Shiplake Lock.

The Rivertime Boat Trust will then deliver it to the River and Rowing Museum in Henley on board its 42ft vessel Rivertime.

The Henley Whalers will pick up the bottle on Monday and take it to Hambleden Lock, where it will be collected by members of Bisham Abbey's Accessible Sailing Club.

The relay is part of the Totally Thames festival and was launched in 2013 by former Henley schoolboy Jon Cooke, the festival's partnerships manager.

It will finish at Ham House, near Twickenham, on August 31.