County Council Pulls Out All The Stops To Help Royal Navy

You know what it's like, you've been waiting ages for an old bus stop sign and then lots come along all at once!

That's what sailors from HMS Bulwark found after months of fruitless efforts trying to track down some old bus stop signs to help them find their way around their floating home.

Domestic quarters and 'hotel' services for the ship's company are distributed around a single deck of the huge ship, which is about the same size as a modern aircraft carrier and the newest addition to the Fleet.

Facilities like the crew's sleeping quarters, galley, dining hall and messes were identified only by letters and numbers and on a ship the size of HMS Bulwark that can lead to some confusion, particularly among newcomers on board.

"It is not easy to find your way around such a big ship, and we thought that putting bus stop signs outside each facility - each bearing the name of a town or village in County Durham - would make things easier to remember, as well as reinforcing the links with our affiliated county," said a ship's spokesman.

"We had a real problem getting our hands on some old bus stops signs, and after months of drawing a blank, we thought we'd ask the County Council to help, not knowing they had a public transport unit. Suddenly, we've got more than we need. It's great."

"We were delighted to help our friends on Bulwark," said then Council Chairman, Ernie Foster. "We had a number of old plastic bus stop signs in storage gathering dust which could not have been re-used and were on the point of being thrown out. We're glad to put them to good use - and if they reinforce the links between us, it's an added bonus."

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