All the preparatory work on the barge was carried out down river at Tilbury Docks, and the challenge presented to Unusual Rigging was how to rig the Christmas trees - which weighed 1.5 tons each - so they could be lowered to enable the barge to pass under the five bridges between Tilbury and the South Bank.
Unusual's project manager Jason White, senior project manager Simon Tiernan and managing director Alan Jacobi put their heads together with their design department to develop a custom hinged device which allowed the trees to fold flat onto the deck and be raised once the barge had reached the South Bank. Guide wires keep the trees upright and provide the additional support required for the 25m x 3m banner strung between them.
Between the trees, two 8.5 ton JCB Backhoe Loaders were secured to the deck by Unusual to ensure they don't move an inch until the end of the campaign on 21 December. Rigging was also provided for the advertising banners around the perimeter of the barge.
Jason White said: "The atrocious weather conditions not only resulted in frozen hands and feet, but also meant a few delays along the way. But we had a terrific crew, who even turned their hand to decorating the trees to help White Light when time started to get tight. We are also supplying a 24-hour stand-by crew in case of emergencies, such as excessive wind - or snow."
(Jim Evans)
