Organisers of a project to create Stockton’s own Community Barge were on target to complete the vessel for its scheduled launch, but for one thing - they had everything but the kitchen sink…

…but, when Tristar Homes and the contractors involved in helping to modernise council-owned properties in the Borough were told, they offered a helping hand.  Iain Fishburn, project co-ordinator of the Enterprise and Skill Initiative explained;

‘As a result of the extra help we’ve received we are bang on target for the a launch, just a year after work first began on fitting out the barge.  We’re really grateful to everyone who’s been involved.

‘Although the project was going quite well, the help we have had from Tristar Homes and their contractors’ skilled tradesmen has certainly helped speed up completion.’

David Halfacre, Managing Director of Dunelm Property Services, who supervised the work on the project on behalf of the partnership, described how they eventually went a little further than the original request;

‘We supplied and fitted the kitchen sink they needed, but it seemed to us that it was such a worthwhile project we should help them finish it off as quickly and professionally as possible.

‘In fact - we went the extra mile and got a cooker, fridge and units to finish off the galley, connected up their boiler, supplied and fitted radiators and completed some plumbing and joinery work too.’