Table of Content:

  1. Letter To Thames Festival Trust
  2. The Attachment of Letter To Thames Festival Trust
  3. Reply From Thames Festival Trust
  4. Reply From Adrian Evans (7 hours later)
  5. Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Annie (Next Day missing Adrian Evans’ post)
  6. Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Adrian Evans: (with profuse apologies.)
  7. Reply From Adrian Evans: (after profuse apologies)
  8. Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Adrian Evans: (back on track)
  9. Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Adrian Evans: (after contacting Jane)
  10. Confirmation

Letter To Thames Festival Trust

From: Jonathan Fleming

To: Thames Festival

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 31/08/2015 19:05

Message:

Thames Festival Trust

Dear

Can you please pass on this correspondence to your director Adrian Evan whom I am trying to arrange a meeting with if he can see interest in the proposal set out in the corresponding word document attached.

Essentially the document asks if Thames Sailing Barges can be involved in the Thames Festival?

Given their history with the Thames and London, we think that an inclusion of these barges would not only impact on the festival, but it is hoped it would help bring in some needed publicity for the barges themselves that could help encourage sponsorship and advertising for the good of these vessels future.

Please send a reply however you see it

and I will look forward to hearing from you

Kind Regards

Jonathan Fleming

(TOC)


The Attachment:

                                   

31st August 2015

Dear Mr Evans

Below is a correspondence I had with the Mayor of London's office about putting on a Thames Sailing Barge Parade in the hope of getting their permission to do so.

They did, however, reply with information about your festival that already does something akin to what was trying to be achieved for Thames Sailing Barges for the reasons stated in the aforementioned correspondence ‑ publicity basically.

I have had a look over what your website and what your festival does and it seems to cover a range of events to make it just so, a festival.

I can not, however, seem to find anything about Thames Sailing Barges being involved in your event and wondered if this is truly so. You have a river event with around 300 or so vessels, which seem to be rowing boats, dragon boats and some other small boats.

If this were the case, would you be willing to allow a number of Thames Sailing Barges to be a part of your festival so that they can attempt to gain a bit of publicity from inclusion at your event?

I won't go into great detail here with you about logistics, planning and so forth, but we will be willing to meet with you for a discussion if you think our inclusion would be of benefit to your festival in the next year or two onwards and would help out the Thames Sailing Barge Community in doing so.

Being included in your festival could possibly do a lot of good for Thames Sailing Barge Community who desperately needs to acquire publicity, sponsorship or both for the good of these vessels future.

I look forward to your reply

Kind Regards

Jonathan Fleming

Ps. I also wrote to the Queen about this and have since found out that it was you who was charged with Her Majesty’s pageant. May I say very well done, it was a marvellous event.

CORRESPONDENCE TO AND FROM MAYOR’S OFFICE:

TO: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mayor of London through email form on website

Subject: Thames Barge Boat Parade

Message:

(See page 2)

Dear Mayor,

Can I please have permission to organise a historic Thames Barge Boat Parade on the river Thames.

Thames barge boats have a deep historical value to London with over 2000 of these vessels on the registry in their heyday at the turn of the 20th century, but that century saw a steady decline in their numbers following the Second World War, the coastal barge trade diminished as the nation became more mechanised and cargoes went by road instead of by sea.

To get theses boats a good bit of promotion to keep alive what is becoming a dying historic commodity that should really be valued by London and all those who visit London, we need a designated place to moor (preferably where we can get good public access so that the public can come aboard and view the vessels), and of course dates that can be give to us for the event (preferably a summer time / summer holidays date), I would like to have a permit to sail as many as 30 sailing barges right up the Thames coming in from the estuary and back out again after mooring for a day at a designated mooring that could be given to the boats.

I can give you a lot more details once we can get into discussions on planning the event, but in principle if you can tell us if this would be feasible, it would help us with being able to get sponsorships and advertising for the vessels.

Kind regards

Jonathan Fleming

(Crew Member of Edme Barge - www.EdmeBarge.com)

FROM: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mayor of London <mayor@london.gov.uk>

22 July 2015 at 17:43

(See page 3)

Dear Jonathan,

Many thanks for your email, which has been referred to the Events Team for a response.

As the Mayor is already involved in an event, which promotes the river and its historic vessels, namely the Thames Festival spearheaded by Adrian Evans, we are not in a position to initiate or support any additional projects of this nature.

With regards to use of the river and advice as to any potential moorings, we suggest you consult with the Port of London Authority.

We do nonetheless wish you the best of luck with your endeavours.

Best regards,

Lieran Stubbings

Events for London

Submitted on Tuesday, 30 June 2015 - 5:31pm

(TOC)

Reply From Thames Festival Trust:

From: Annie (Thames Festival)

To: Jonathan Fleming

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 01/09/2015 11:35

Message:

Hi Jonathan

 

Thank you for your email

 

I have copied Adrian and my colleague Jon who looks after our 3rd party events, into this email

They will be in touch

 

Thanks

 

Annie

(TOC)

Reply From Adrian Evans: (7 hours later)

From: Adrian Evans (Thames Festival)

To: Jonathan Fleming

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 01/09/2015 18:40

Message:

Hi Jonathan – this sounds like a great idea – can we meet and have a chat about it - If so, when suits you?

Best

ADRIAN

 

Adrian Evans LVO

Director & Pageant Master

(TOC)

Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Annie: (Next day, totally missing Adrian Evans’ reply.

As it was the start of the festival, plus knowing it was on for a month, I considered he’d be really busy and best not to push it at this time, not realising he had already replied 24 hours earlier.

You can imagine my horror, when waiting until the first week in November, I decided I had waited long enough, only to find that when I was reacquainting myself with the communication timeline, I found that he had long since replied some 2 months earlier.

Sick wasn’t the word, gutted wouldn’t do it either, dead-in-the-water was more fitting of how I felt.

I thought, right there, I had lost it all and messed up all that hard work and effort.)

From: Jonathan Fleming

To: Annie (Thames Festival)

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 02/09/2015 18:10

Message:

Hello Annie,

Thank you very much for getting back to me so promptly

I look forward to their communication

Kind Regards

Jonathan Fleming

(TOC)


Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Adrian Evans: (with profuse apologies.)

From: Jonathan Fleming

To: Adrian Evans (Thames Festival)

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 05/11/2015 13:35

Message:

Hello Adrian,

I think I got my emails crossed wired, I have just found that you have replied to me since the beginning of september yet I have been waiting all this time for a reply from you or your office on the back of Annie's post at 11.35 1st Sept 2015, however, I missed that you had replied quite rapidly later that day at 18.40 to setup an actual meet, and have been patiently waiting considering that you had the festival to organise.

So firstly can I sincerely apologies for my delayed response and secondly yes, we can meet.

In a few weeks time I will be meeting up with the owners of Edme for a work day or two on Edme, this will be around the last week of November or the first week of December, I will ask them then when we can arrange our meeting as in the meantime they will be on holiday.

Please don't believe this delay to mean we are not enthusiastic or have a laid back approach, on the contrary, we are ecstatic to know of your interest and excitement too and will be really pleased to meet with you as soon as is possible.

I shall be in touch post haste.

Warm Regards

Jonathan Fleming

(TOC)


Reply From Adrian Evans: (after profuse apologies)

From: Adrian Evans (Thames Festival)

To: Jonathan Fleming

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 05/11/2015 13:57

Message:

Hi Jonathan – excellent – do let me know when is convenient for you. I will be away the week of 7 December.

Best

ADRIAN

(TOC)


Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Adrian Evans: (back on track)

From: Jonathan Fleming

To: Adrian Evans (Thames Festival)

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 05/11/2015 14:17

Message:

Hi Adrian,

Great - will do.

Regards

Jonathan

(TOC)


Reply From Jonathan Fleming to Adrian Evans: (after contacting Jane)

From: Jonathan Fleming

To: Adrian Evans (Thames Festival)

Subject: Thames Festival With Thames Sailing Barges As A Feature

Emailed: 06/11/2015 14:23

Message:

Hello Adrian,

Having left an email for the owners of Edme, even though they are on holiday the importance of this meet shone through and I am very glad to be reporting back to you so swiftly this time.

If the dates of 26th or 27th November and 1st or 3rd December  are convenient to you, then the times can be of your choice and I will be introducing you to Jane and Andy Harman (skipper) whom are highly respected right throughout the Thames Sailing Barge Community with the ability to galvanise all when needed.

I await your confirmed date, time and meeting place.

Warm, Kind Regards

Jonathan

(TOC)


Confirmation:

Date was confirmed for 27th November 2015.

Jane and I had a brilliant meeting with Adrian, which has resulted in where we are today.

Kindest Regards

Jonathan

(TOC)