The Thames Valley is a region in the South of England which includes various counties following the course of the River Thames. The term includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Surrey and Oxfordshire. Although it is called the Thames Valley, it does not include the areas at the source of the river, or areas in Central London and the Thames Estuary. The areas included within the Thames Valley can be compared to the areas surrounding the M4 from London into South Wales.
Due to the location of the Thames Valley stretching out from London along the M4, it is an attractive place for many businesses. Science, Technology and Communications feature strongly in the Thames Valley area. Therefore this area is often known as the “Silicon Valley of Europe”. One of the major companies located in the Thames Valley is Microsoft. The company believes that it is an attractive place to be established for its global work force. There are attractive flexible labour market regulations and a European hub airport in Heathrow, making it an ideal location for a European office.
The businesses located in the area benefit the universities, which include Oxford and Reading. Businesses run projects with the students allowing placement opportunities as well as career opportunities making it an ideal place to study.
There are many and various tourist attractions which are popular with the most famous being Windsor Castle. Whilst visiting Windsor, visitors often cross the footbridge to visit Eton and it’s college which is one of the most famous public boys’ schools in the country.
The Thames Valley is also known for it’s sporting events. Silverstone Circuit is known to be the home of British Motorsport and is the location of the British Grand Prix. In addition, the Henley Regatta takes place on the River Thames. The regatta comprises a rowing event which lasts for 5 days over a weekend in July. In addition, there are many countryside walks including many in the Chiltern Hills, The Ridgeway National Trail and of course those in Windsor Great Park.
As the Thames Valley covers a large area, there are many retail outlets and shopping precincts. One of the biggest shopping outlets in the region is Bicester Village which provides designer outlet shopping with discounts. This attraction brings many people into the area with 65% of the customers being tourists, including 30% from non-EU countries.
With Eacotts being located in the heart of the Thames Valley, it is ideally situated to service both businesses and organisations in the not for profit sector, that have chosen to operate in The Thames Valley.
