Teddington Lifeboat Station received its fourth annual river blessing this week.

These were the words of Reverend Joe Moffatt, priest in charge at the Church of St Mary with St Alban in Teddington, during the fourth annual River Blessing.

He said: "The presence of our Lifeboat Station (at Teddington) is a reminder of how powerful the

River is.

"We should all enjoy it, whether that's by walking alongside it, paddling it, sailing, rowing or even swimming in it but it deserves our respect.

"Respect in the sense of being careful but also respect in the sense of being in awe."

Katherine Matthews, PCC Secretary of the church explained: "This is a service of thanksgiving to recognise and celebrate the importance of the River Thames to the local community, supported by many societies and organisations with a connection to the river.

"In normal times they not only send a representative to attend the church service but also have members gather on the river in their boats and vessels."

Teddington RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager Tim Ody also explained the challenges the station has faced in the last few months at the service.

He said: "It was an interesting period for us because

when they closed the locks it meant that through-traffic on the river stopped and that really

freed it up as a recreational resource.

"It was quite staggering to see how many people were

out, with that lovely warm weather that we had at the start of the Coronavirus epidemic.

"I paddled out in my canoe and there were literally hundreds of people on the riverbanks.

"There were people on the beaches having picnics, there were children swimming in the river, and lots of people on inflatables, but everybody was safe because there were so many eyes on the river and I think that's why we didn't get any more shouts than normal.

"It's been fairly normal all the way through. We get the same number of shouts now as we did in normal times.

"Quite a few of them now are quite late at night as those tend to be where the police are looking for perhaps a distressed person and that's the time when the river is quiet."

If you do see someone in difficulty in the water, you should dial 999 and ask for the coastguard.

Don't assume someone else has called for help!