A BRIGHTER OUTLOOK...

Back in October (see label below) I reported on the devastating fire in my boyhood village, which caused extensive damage to one of the country`s most historic naval vessels, HMS Medusa (pictured.)

Experts and a team of dedicated restorers had feared for the future of the former gunboat when fire ripped through the workshop in Hythe. The vessel was in the middle of a top-to-toe refurbishment when the flames took hold. Priceless engines and pieces of furniture have gone forever, but the vessel has been saved.

A £1m Heritage Lottery funded project to restore the ship and return her to public display on the Solent's waters is now back in full swing at Hythe Ship Yard. Medusa will be back to her former glory by the end of the year. It has taken weeks for volunteers on the project to sift through the remains of the building and salvage anything worth saving.

Medusa's three original engines - including the two main engines that weighed 3.5 tons each - that were nearly fully refurbished were badly damaged. One was destroyed beyond repair and the other two are being rebuilt at a cost of £70,000 to £80,000. Original furniture from inside the ship, along with period timber and countless fittings also went up in flames last October.

When Medusa is restored to her former glory, there will be a rededication ceremony in Poole, where she was first built. She will then return to her Southampton base and will take visitors onboard to teach them about life during the Second World War.