IT SEEMS hard to believe that it is ten years since the medieval ship was discovered in the mud of the banks of the River Usk in Newport.

And what a tumultuous decade it has been for the city since then.

There has been much to shout about, in the form of the fantastic new developments such as the Riverfront Theatre, the city university campus and the transformation of the riverside.

But the hard times, which have hit the whole UK economy, have also taken their toll and it is only nowthat the much-awaited shopping centre regeneration scheme is getting back on track.

However, there has been one constant over the past ten years, and that has been that the discovery of the medieval ship in the city is a force for good.

From the moment the timbers were unearthed during the building works for the Riverfront Theatre, the ship captured the public imagination, not just here in Newport but across the world.

Visitors thronged to the site to see the timbers in situ.

And now, as the painstaking job of cleaning and restoring the timbers has gone on, the interest has not waned.

What is needed is a real push for a permanent home for the ship so it can be displayed in all its glory.

The Newport Ship has the potential to become a real national treasure and something which will benefit the city for decades to come.