About Us
What We Offer
The Rivertime Boat Trust offers the opportunity for disabled and disadvantaged adults, children and young people to develop a long term involvement with the River Thames by providing a safe, supportive and stimulating environment aboard ‘Rivertime’.
The Rivertime Boat Trust was founded in 2006 to provide and maintain a specially constructed boat for the disabled and to organise boat trips on the middle Thames for disabled and disadvantaged children and adults.
The charity is run by a group of experienced people with business and charity backgrounds and 50 fully trained volunteers with a passion for boating. We believe that the freedom of movement provided on the water has a therapeutic effect and that the demand is high, both locally and nationally.
The Boat
‘Rivertime’ is a spacious, purpose-designed 42-foot passenger boat offering disabled and disadvantaged children and adults the opportunity to take trips on the River Thames with their teachers and/or carers.
‘Rivertime’ is equipped with a ramp and a hydraulic lift for wheelchairs and there is a toilet for the disabled and a large saloon with a sliding roof for sunny days. The boat is licensed to carry 12 passengers (including carers) and always goes out with a fully qualified skipper and experienced crew member. There is a small galley for tea, coffee and biscuits and passengers are invited to bring their own picnic.
Our Values and Vision
We will develop relationships with like-minded people to develop the ‘Rivertime’ concept along the length of the River Thames and across the UK to enable disabled children and young people to develop a long-term involvement with the river.
Vision
To inspire disabled and disadvantaged adults, children and young people to develop a long-term involvement with the river by encouraging other like-minded people to develop the ‘Rivertime’ concept along the length of the River Thames and across the UK.
We I N S P I R E
Inspirational
We inspire disabled and disadvantaged adults, children and young people to develop a long term involvement with the river.
Nurturing
We nurture disabled children and young people to become successful adults who will impact positively on their local community
Supportive
We provide a safe, supportive, vibrant and stimulating environment.
Passionate
We encourage a passion for the river.
Innovative
We are an innovative charity committed to developing the ‘Rivertime’ accessible boating concept across the UK.
Respectful
We are a highly inclusive charity, respect all cultures and beliefs and have a strong sense of community.
Egalitarian
We believe in the principle that all people are equal and deserve equal rights and opportunities.
Our Team
Managing Skipper
Lucy Herbert, our full time Managing Skipper, organises over 200 riverboat trips a year for our passengers and managers the 30 volunteers who help make this happen.
Before joining The Rivertime Boat Trust, Lucy worked for the Environment Agency as a lock and weir keeper.
She comes from two generations of river workers and lives on a house boat.
Charity Manager
Tom's professional background is training and personal development and he has worked with a number of businesses and groups helping them grow and gain new skills.
Tom grew up around boats and has sailed since he was 7 years old. He then made his passion a profession and from 2002 spent 18 years working on the River Thames training people on a variety of power and sail boats. As a part of this role Tom has had an involvement with Rivertime since its inception in 2006.
Outside of work Tom is Chair of Governors at his local primary school and has been on the Governing Board for 12 years. As well as time afloat he also enjoys spending time with his young family and horse riding.
Tom joins the Rivertime team in 2025 and is excited to help the Trust grow and to deliver a range of accessible activities using Rivertime, and our unique learning resources, along the Thames and its river banks.
Our Volunteers
We have and rely on a team of over 20 volunteers who are qualified to skipper or crew the boat.
All skippers hold as a minimum;
RYA inland Waterways Helmsman Certificate
RYA 1st Aid Certificate
Annual refresher training to include the skippers leading role and emergency procedures
ML5 Medical
All crew complete annual refresher training in the following;
Crewing and domestic duties
Emergency procedures
First aid
Safeguarding qualification
Trustees
Interim Chair
Jonathan is the MD at Hobbs of Henley, one of the longest running family businesses on the Thames and has been a Trustee since Rivertime’s inception.
He is also a governor at the Oratory School and a Royal Waterman.
Since taking over the Hobbs business from his father, Jonathan has brought in many changes, increasing the size of the Hobbs rental fleet with both day boats and larger passenger boats and more.
He has also launched ‘Mr Hobbs’ Gin!
Hobbs of Henley kindly supports ‘Rivertime’ in many logistical ways from their base in Henley.
Trustee
Dr Diane Smyth has had a long and distinguished career in the NHS as a children’s neurologist and neurodisability specialist, and as a doctor working with community child health services. Her consultant career was with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust (St Mary’s Hospital, Paddington).
All of her working life has been concerned with the care of children and young people with developmental/neurological problems (acute and long term), learning and/or physical disability. Among various external positions, she has been Chair of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health Standing Committee on Disability and was instrumental in getting neurodisability recognised as a subspeciality of paediatrics.
She was a doctor in Biafra during the Nigerian civil war, and has seen what life is like in the raw for disabled children in India, children with communication problems in Pakistan, and street children in Romania.
She lives locally in Cookham Dean.
Diane has recently instigated an exciting Rivertime research project on the benefits of being on the water with disabilities.
Trustee
Ian is a long standing supporter of The Rivertime Boat Trust and is a partner in an executive search firm in London, Sterling James.
He has a BA from the University of York and an MBA from INSEAD.
Ian has been a trustee of various charities for more than 20 years
Trustee
Guy volunteered with the Rivertime Boat Trust for over ten years as crew and on various projects before becoming involved with operations for a couple of years before being appointed interim Charity Manager in 2024.
Always drawn to the Thames, water and boats, he has helped raise over £20,000 for Rivertime through various rowing challenges.
He has developed and oversees the RBT website and has been instrumental in helping the charity change its operating systems in recent years.
Guy has started and sold two boat rental businesses and founded and runs the Shiplake Outloars fixed seat rowing club.
He now spends his time in his digital agency helping individuals, businesses and organisations thrive online.
Non-Executive
Patron
Sir David’s long and illustrious acting career includes roles in theatre, film, TV and radio plays. He received his Knighthood in 2020 for services to drama and charity.
Sir David has played many leading roles but is perhaps best known for his definitive portrayal of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot. The first story was filmed in 1989 and in 2012 the last story, Curtain, completed the canon after 70 episodes.
Sir David supports many charities. One of his great loves is the canals and waterways of Great Britain together with a great love of the River Thames. He supports them and their restoration and he is connected with, and holds official titles with, many waterways and River Thames organisations. In 2009 he was given membership of the Lightermen and Watermen’s Livery Company after being given the honour of becoming a Freeman of the City of London.
President
Simon Davis and his late wife, Pat Davis MBE, founded The Rivertime Boat Trust in 2007, after learning from Jonathan Hobbs that wheelchair users found it difficult and unsafe to get on a passenger boat. With the help of many Trusts and individuals they raised £165,000 to build and launch ‘Rivertime’ to take out disabled and disadvantaged people.
Prior to this Simon and Pat started and ran a Boat Hire and Corporate Regatta Company. Both had interesting careers. Pat administered a number of Doctors’ practices and Simon was a Director of Catering and Marketing Companies and their experiences proved very helpful in growing the Charity.
Simon was a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing and a Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Marketors; and indeed won two National Marketing Awards.
His love of the Thames led him to become a founder member of The River Thames Society and The Traditional Boat Rally as well as being very involved with The Thames Punting Club and the initiator of The Regatta for the Disabled. Not satisfied with all this he has also collected over 500 books on the River Thames.