PRINCESS ANNE will officially open the first ever Rivertime Accessible Regatta. 

A host of Paralympians and Olympians will be attending a packed day of events, bringing together over 350 young people with a wide range of disabilities and special needs.

It's the first of its kind in the Thames Valley.

HRH The Princess Royal will officially launch the event on Wednesday 14th June at Bisham Abbey National Sports Centre, Marlow. It is being organised by the Rivertime Boat Trust and the charity Give Them a Sporting Chance, of which Her Royal Highness is Guardian.

Drawn from over 20 local schools, the young people taking part in the Accessible Regatta will have the same sporting opportunities other young people freely enjoy. They will also have the chance to rub shoulders with some inspiring Paralympians and Olympians who will also be at the event.

· Naomi Riches MBE – Bronze Medal at the 2008 Paralympics and a Gold Medal at the 2012 Paralympics in the mixed coxed four

· Anne Dickins MBE (nee Usher) – a para-canoeist who won a Gold Medal at the 2016 Paralympics

· Steve Williams OBE – double Gold Medal Olympic Rowing champion in the Coxless Four in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008

· Dame Katherine Grainger DBE – a multiple Olympic rowing medal winner, including a Gold Medal at London 2012 in the Double Sculls.

Dame Katherine will also take up the post of Chair of UK Sport on 1st September The river will be brought to life with a full programme of water sports taking place along the stretch of the Thames at Bisham Abbey.

They include competitive bell boating, accessible sailing and powerboating, kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding.

As well as water-based activities, young people will also have the opportunity to try various land-based activities. The National Sports Centre, working with other charities, will be putting on a range of land based accessible sports such as wheelchair basketball and tennis, boccia, cycling, new age kurling, cheerleading, archery, land sailing and disability football.

HRH The Princess Royal will be escorted by Mr James Puxley, the Lord Lieutenant for Berkshire, and will be starting the first race, as well as meeting young people taking part in the water sports and the land-based activities.

Simon Davis, Rivertime Boat Trust Co-founder and Chairman said: “We are delighted that as well as the Princess Royal joining us to launch our first Accessible Regatta, we will also be joined by a number of Paralympic and Olympic athletes. They will no doubt act as an inspiration for the hundreds of young people taking part in this unique event, which is providing participation for so many children and young people in one place at one time."

Alan Hart, Give Them a Sporting Chance Trustee, says: “Everyone’s life can be enriched and their horizons expanded by a sporting chance. I am delighted that the many young people taking part in this wonderful event will also get the opportunity to meet athletes who have got to the top of their sports, showing what is possible. Providing these sorts of opportunities is exactly what Give them a Sporting Chance is all about.”