The Thames Sailing Barge Trust was rewarded at the National Transport Trust’s annual awards ceremony for its work on the restoration of an historic barge.
The award was presented to trust member Steve De La Salle during the ceremony held at the Railway Museum, in Fawley, for his work on 101-year-old Thames Sailing barge Pudge.
Pudge, a barge based in Maldon, is one of the two boats the Thames Sailing Barge Trust has worked on, keeping the historic vessel in suitable condition for sailing and for the benefit of the public.
Pudge was built in 1922 for the London and Rochester Barge Co and is now over 100 years old.
The barge was bought by the Thames Sailing Barge Trust in 1968 for £750, which was a large amount at the time.
The barge was one of the 850 "Little Ships" used to evacuate Second World War troops from Dunkirk in France in 1940.
The vessel is now regularly moored at the Thames Sailing Barge Trust at Hythe Quay, Maldon.
Originally, she was named Podge after the nickname of a director’s daughter, however, the captain at the time changed the name to Pudge.
When the London Docks closed in 1982, the trust decided to move to Maldon.
Pudge has had a series of restorations, with the latest being in 2019.
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