Living in leafy Teddington has been something of a privilege during Lockdown. But such is human nature that sometimes it can be too easy to overlook our surroundings and their

ability to make us feel more positive and inspired.

It is how people look out for one another that is the mark of a caring community and really matters most when times are difficult.

On a cold wet January morning, spooning breakfast cereal into my children and wondering what another day of Lockdown would bring, I received a call from Lucia Prentice, wife of my friend Angus and a fellow Helm at Teddington RNLI Lifeboat station.

A friend of hers was walking her dog by the river when she spotted a stylish speedboat floating down the river, apparently with nobody on board. Not knowing what to do, she reached out to Lucia.

The boat was at some distance from the shore yet by some fluke of the current, it was carried within reach of the bank.

A helpful bystander out walking with his children, kindly managed to grasp it and secured it to the railings. Had it not been seen and secured it would surely have been wrecked in powerful and dangerously fast water flowing over Teddington Weir.

Thanks to Lucia's quick thinking, she assumed nothing and

her phone call triggered an urgent search involving almost 20 people, lasting several hours.

It is not uncommon for the Lifeboat to launch to drifting boats on this patch of Thames, which is a meandering stretch between Molesey and Richmond Locks.

I asked Lucia if anyone was aboard and was the engine was running? I then called Julian Knott, one of our DLAs (Deputy Launch Authority).

Having discussed the situation with Julian, he notified the Coastguard who tasks RNLI launches and oversees our rescues at Teddington RNLI.

With the boat now secured it was decided not to launch the Lifeboat. But where did the speedboat come from?

The boat was first noticed near Broom Road Recreation Ground, but with so much recent rain, the river was flowing faster than usual and the boat could have travelled some

distance before being spotted.

I called another friend and fellow Teddington RNLI Lifeboat

Helm, Tim James into the picture. Living nearby, he went immediately to the recovered boat. What he discovered was quite concerning.

As Tim explained: "It looked like someone could have tripped and fallen overboard, kicking in a loudspeaker on the stern of the boat in the process. Were we facing a launch and detailed search for missing person presumed to have fallen in the river? Not knowing where the boat came from, where would we even begin? Finding the boat owner became a matter of urgency."

After several hours of tenacious and convoluted detective work led by Tim, he traced a former owner of the boat who in turn put him in touch with the current owner.

Everyone was relieved the owner, Graham Smith, was found to be safe and well. As Graham explained: "I was in the middle of home schooling my twins at our flat on Lower

Teddington Road and I received the call to say that my boat had been found floating alone on the river.

"I had recently been trying to fix the boat which is usually kept safe in our boathouse but due to the high waters I had to keep it outside.

"I was shocked but happy to hear that it was safe. Thank you to all involved. A great example of our community getting together and thinking on their feet for the safety of others."

You could pass by this minor story and not give it a second thought. It would have been all too easy to simply tie up the boat and walk away – even that would have been a good

deed done for the day. Going the extra mile though was our community at its best.

Looking out for someone else's property and more importantly, their safety and wellbeing s another reason for being so fortunate to live and serve in Teddington.

As we all look forward to emerging from the pandemic in the months ahead, I believe it will be as a stronger and more close-knit community.

Remember, if you should see a person or a vessel in distress on the river Thames, simply call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.