The house called The Sphinx on Pharaoh’s Island as seen from the towpath

Get behind the club that’s risen from the ashes

There are lots of good causes looking for your support through the year but one which I believe deserves special mention is the third annual River Festival staged by the Weybridge Mariners’ Club (WMC) – a cruiser club based on the lock island at Shepperton.

Club with a reputation that’s second to none

There are rowing clubs up and down the length of the Thames and crews being put through their paces by enthusiastic coaches pedalling along the river bank are a familiar sight for anyone who regularly takes a stroll beside the water.

The gloves are coming off

I remember fondly summer holidays with my children at Southwold on the Suffolk coast when one of the regular highlights was taking part in the annual crabbing contest. We regularly used to lift out hundreds of crabs of various sizes by dangling old fishheads and bits of bacon rind into the water.