Bart Ricketts

This was the last of these events aimed at the younger members of the borough.  I enjoyed watching the Chinese Lion and getting involved with the art sessions.  I hope to see valuable schemes like this continue in Kingston.

 It was great to view the art display and meet the young people and adults involed in this posotive project.

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I was invited to attend Any Questions chaired by Jonathan Dimbleby broadcast live from Kingston University (Penrhyn Road Campas) 

The panel included:
MATTHEW TAYLOR: Chief Executive of the RSA and former Chief Adviser to Tony Blair
TIM MONTGOMERIE: Editor of  ConservativeHome.com and Conservative blogger
LORD (DAVID) RAMSBOTHAM: Former Chief Inspector of Prisons (crossbencher)
BONNIE GREER: Playwright and Broadcaster

To listen please click on this link :

I have signed up to row 22 miles in the Great River Race from Richmond to Greenwich.  If I'm honest I wasn't aware that I would have to row so far when I agreed.  So any of you that live near the river will have to look out for me training along with 5 other people from the Kingston Rotary Club.

The actual race takes place on the 8th September. The Great River Race is London's most colourful and spectacular river event. Each year contestants compete in a 22 mile ‘marathon' to find the UK Traditional Boat Champions. Up to 300 traditional boats, from wherries to war canoes and from Cornish gigs to Chinese dragonboats, take part.

How the Race is Decided

The idea of The Great River Race is to find the UK Traditional Boat Champions. The overall winners receive the Challenge Trophy of The Company of Watermen & Lightermen of the River Thames. This is a mounted Waterman's Badge, first issued to William Savage of Gravesend in 1803.

The race is open to any traditional-style boat powered by a minimum of four oars or paddles. Sliding seats and riggers are not permitted. Each boat must have a cox and, in keeping with the Watermen's ancient traditional role as the taxi drivers for the Thames, each boat must carry a passenger.

The optimum speed of all craft competing is calculated by computer and no account is taken of the potential abilities of the crews. Boats leave the start line on a pursuit handicap basis - the slowest first - and the handicap system is calculated so that all boats should cross the finish line at the same time if all crews put in identical performances. Thus it is the crew that extracts the most out of its boat, regardless of type, which emerges as winner. The same principle applies to all handicap classes.

I attended this emotional commemoration of the first atomic bomb being dropped on Hiroshima, Japan. 

I have been a Scout for 10 years and although this was not the first Jamboree I have attended it is certainly the largest .  The World Jamboree occurs every 4 years in a different country and is a great opportunity for people to make friends and experience other cultures.  This year Hylands Park, Chelmsford saw 40,000 Scouts come together to celebrate both the 21st World Scout Jamboree and also the 100 years of Scouting.  I visited Scouts from Kingston Borough who were attending the camp and enjoyed the amazing atmosphere of the event.

As a Queen's Scout I was honoured to attend the Sunrise Ceremony held outside Kingston University Students' Union.  I was up bright and early to gather with Beavers, Cubs and Scouts from the Royal Kingston District to renew our scout promise.  At 8am Scouts all over the world both current and former joined together to celebrate the Centenary of Scouting by recounting the promise first used by Baden Powell on Brownsea Island.  The Sunrise Ceremony was well attended and I really enjoyed meeting the young people of the borough involved in Scouting.