PEOPLE came from all over the UK to attend a boat party with a difference.

18 people joined the volunteer boat painting party on the Dee Estuary to help the Robins family with their ambitious project to restore the WW2 boat they bought on eBay.

North Wales Pioneer:

Simon and Gemma Robins are restoring the 72 foot-long naval harbour defence launch ML1392 along with their children Mason and Emilia, aged 12 and nine.

Do do so, the family must travel form their home near Gwersyllt to the boat, currently resting in mud on the Wirral side of the Dee Estuary.

But this weekend they were joined by the army of volunteers to give the boat a layer of protection as part of the the latest leg of the Robins' 'epic voyage' to get her afloat.

Gemma, originally from Liverpool, said: "We battled with the mud, but we had 18 volunteers turn up, two coming from as far as Kent, just to help us strip off the old paint and repaint the boat, to give it a layer of protection. 

"The mud was bad, and we spent some time digging out stuck feet! 

"But everyone who turned up were amazing, and now 18 strangers have now become friends, and we are now building a supportive community while working on this boat. 

"It was amazing to see loads of people from around the UK come together to help us, and it was lovely to see new friendships being made." 

North Wales Pioneer:

Gemma and Simon, who is originally from Knutsford, are used to creative projects in their business Creation Campers in Cefyn-y-bedd.

The ML1392, later renamed Sarinda when she became a charter vessel in Scotland and on the Mersey, served as a navigation marker during the D-Day Landings. She even played a part in capturing a German submarine.

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