WHEN Ken Harris, the founder of Severn Leisure Cruises, arrived in Upton in 1978, his new riverside premises consisted of a single-storey warehouse with a corrugated iron roof.

At that time, the town had fallen into a depression and was home to a dozen empty shops and a boarded-up White Lion hotel.

Since then, Ken has used his marketing expertise and engineering know-how to expand his company and to promote the town through his involvement with The Malvern's Experience, Upton Tourism and Trade Association and the Riverside Towns Consortium.

Before setting up on his own, Ken was based in Droitwich as a marketing director for a national agricultural machinery company. After seeking to move into leisure, which he saw as a burgeoning industry, he bought a chandlery selling boat equipment and oil skin waterproofs by Upton's greatest asset, the River Severn.

Several months later, an opportunity came to help run the 1963-built MV Conway Castle as a party riverboat with the Gloucestershire Shipping Company and Davenport Brewery.

Shortly after that, the shipping company went bust and Ken seized the opportunity to buy the boat and turn its function from a boozing venue into a leisurely vessel for sightseeing day trips. Its success saw visitors flock to take weekend trips on the 300-capacity boat. But over the years, visitor numbers dwindled as appeal for attractions like the West Midlands Safari Park and Alton Towers increased. As a result, Severn Leisure Cruises (SCL) moved into corporate events, weddings, private parties and catering for coach tours with cream teas or salad lunches.

The move means the business is now as much about catering as it is boat tours. To help that expansion the company's base on terra firma was rebuilt as a two-storey restaurant, function suite with balcony view and kitchens.

Twelve-years-ago, Ken's daughter Melanie and her husband Jim Davis took over day-to-day running of SLC, while Ken and partner Veronica restored the nearby Old School House as a hotel.

Although Melanie's earliest work experiences involved selling pens and post-cards to boat trippers, she claims to have never intended to enter SLC, instead studying business studies before becoming a buyer. However, with her husband's involvement in the bar trade, it made sense for the pair to take over the reigns at SLC instead of running their own pub.

With the help of chef Joyce Teale and soon-to-retire skipper Ernie North, SLC continues to cater for a variety of events, both on land and on water. Included in regular boat tours are weekly trips to Tewkesbury market, Worcester cruises six times a year, band nights and discos, as well as the provision of a variety of menus for private charters and weddings. It keeps the couple busy all year round.

Melanie said: "In the winter we're very busy but in a different way. The boat runs from March to December, when we do Christmas parties. In January and February, it goes to dry dock in Gloucester to get cleaned and inspected inside and out according to stringent safety checks for the Department of Transport.

"We get on with admin at that time of year. We have a mailing list of 2,000 and we start planning our brochure in October and it's printed by early December. A lot of our bookings come in January, February and March, especially weddings. Group organisers tend to plan their social calendar for 12 months in January and February."

As far as the firm's involvement in The Malvern's Experience, the now semi-retired Ken Harris said that, despite being a founder members, he feels the partnership falls short of promoting Upton.

"The basic idea was to present Malvern to Malvern as a quality product," he said. "I don't think that it's achieving what it set out to do. I don't think it's going to bring more trade to the town or that it will affect Upton. It would help if the council could come along and help the out-of-season business, either by increasing summer tourist trade or by doing some sort of winter promotion."

For further information, visit www.severnleisurecruises.co.uk.