CLEAN-UP SQUAD: Members of the Thames Anglers Conservancy take their responsibilities for keeping the riverbank – and the river – clean and free from debris very seriously. Here a group of volunteers are working on Desborough Island
For all those suffering the annual problem of what to put underneath the tree for their boat-obsessed other halves, here are some suggestions – some to be taken more seriously than others…
It seems astonishing now, but there was a time, 100 or so years ago, when Staines was considered a riverside resort to rank alongside the likes of Marlow and Henley.
There are many islands on the River Thames, some containing luxurious waterside homes, some mere mounds of mud and sand that have the odd tree clinging precariously to life on their edges and some providing bases for water-related industries like boat-building.
