One of the things I love most about writing this column is that every now and again I’m contacted by someone with a lovely story to tell connected to our stretch of the Thames.

Mystery journey of derelict boat that had sunk to the bottom

I was absolutely delighted to receive an email from Alan and Jean Barrett of Walton following on from my piece about the restoration of the old paddle steamer, the Medway Queen, in last week’s Herald and News.

Regular readers of this column will know that I’ve been following the progress of the restoration work being undertaken on the paddle steamer Medway Queen and I thought it was about time to post an update.