My working week..

Jan 18 2008 Ron Kitchin

Ron Kitchin, managing director, Water of Leith 2000, shares his work

Not everyone's job involves towing a 100ft barge for 400 miles then sinking it.

"My involvement with Water of Leith 2000 has taken me into areas which I would never previously have considered and presented me with problemsolving opportunities which I could never have imagined," muses Kitchin.

The barge has been completely transformed into an unusual but rather impressive office. But before it was able to park beside the Leith's swanky restaurant and bar and design studio nirvana on the Shore in Leith, it had to be sunk to get it under the bridge.

"I confess I was blessed with a positive attitude, but even I was daunted at the magnitude of the task of sinking this vessel within the port and pulling her under the bridge then not only restoring the vessel but turning it into something of which everybody in this great part of Edinburgh could be proud."

Kitchin was able to celebrate her launch, dubbed Barge 1502, with a champagne reception that featured a speech from another son of Leith, Sir Tom Farmer.

Farmer is a big supporter of Leith and the charity Kitchin runs, the Water of Leith 2000, which is tasked with maintaining the waterways as well as running the business centre. "The pressure of getting this latest piece of the jigsaw in place for the 'Water of Leith Business Centre' will now ease, of course, but the planning for getting our next three vessels into the Inner Basin will step up a gear as will the sterling efforts of Water of Leith's staff to keep this most problematic of waterways clean, efficient and attractive," he says.

Meanwhile, Kitchin can also enjoy the rebirth of the area which features high calibre restaurants like that run by his son Tom Kitchin, which won a Michelin star in its first year of operation.