Fun Day at The Queen Dowager (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

Fun Day at The Queen Dowager

8:49am Tuesday 23rd August 2011 in Your Neighbourhood

Teddington got ready for the Olympics during the recent London – Surrey cycle road race test event. Shaun Thompson, the new landlord at the Queen Dowager laid on a fun day for families after the cyclists had sped through the town. The garden was put over to a play area with a bouncy castle. At the front, Amy Hatton had queues of youngsters for her creative face painting while New Zealander Sam Cadman did a steady trade in barbequed hamburgers and hot dogs. Natalie O’Rourke and the team from Park Lane Stables were there with ponies ‘Trigger’ and ‘Hector’ and delighted children with rides along North Lane and around the nearby gardens. ‘Hector’ is a two year old rescue pony and only joined the stables the week before.

Natalie said, “We couldn’t get into Bushy Park for our usual Sunday rides and treks because of the cycle race so we decided to team up with Shaun and help raise money for charity.”

Landlord Shaun Thompson said, “It was a great day and so nice to welcome so many families to the Queen Dowager. The weather was perfect and it was lovely to hear the shrieks of children having lots of fun. We are going to donate all the proceeds from the pony rides, face painting and bouncy castle to the League of Friends, Teddington Memorial Hospital. I’m delighted to say we raised £121.76.

Pamela Bryant, Chair of The League of Friends, Teddington Memorial Hospital said, “I thank everyone involved, it really was a great event.”

Historical Note on Local Pub Names: The Queen Dowager depicts Queen Adelaide, the name of the pub in Park Road, Teddington. She was the wife of William IV who died in 1837. Before his coronation in 1830, William had been the Duke of Clarence, the former name of the pub in Hampton Hill, now The Bloated Mallard TW12.

Based on information supplied by Richard Sharp.