David Suchet announces record high for River Thames Alliance website
14 July 2008
Waterways enthusiast David Suchet took time off from filming Poirot last Thursday to take on his other role as chairman of the River Thames Alliance (RTA).
The actor joined the group, which is made up of 80 organisations dedicated to improving the rural River Thames for communities, wildlife, leisure and business, for its Annual General Meeting at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley.
During his opening speech Mr Suchet praised the RTA for its successes over the last year and announced record new numbers of visitors to the RTA’s website, www.visitthames.co.uk.
He said: “Since the website was relaunched last year it has received on average an extra 2,500 new visitors every month. Between January and June last year it received 83,183 hits – this year it’s received 101,594 for the same period. Figures like this show our marketing work is really having an effect and getting the message to people that this river is a great place to visit”.
The announcement comes on the same day as the RTA launches its new ‘Learning pages’ at www.visitthames.co.uk/learning. These pages are aimed at teachers and youth group leaders who are keen to take learning out of the classroom. It could be a school trip, a day out at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley, a nature reserve, a historic house – anywhere that brings learning and education to life and will help children develop their understanding and appreciation of the River Thames.
Summing up the RTA’s work over the last year to improve the rural River Thames, Mr Suchet commented on the projects carried out along the waterway including new toilets for boaters at locks, a new café for visitors, a new canoe portage, protected banks to prevent further erosion, safer lock sites for everyone and a brand new ‘green’ visitor centre.
He finished by saying: “We all know the River Thames is a fantastic leisure destination and we need to continue working together to do all we can to ensure it stays that way. I am please to be part of this partnership and congratulate you on your hard work and successes so far – keep up the good work!”.