People power all-important in pier success

SIMON Opie, the man who is at the forefront of the pier rebuilding project, has extended a heartfelt thanks to everybody who has ever supported it.

“Without your individual support, the pier would not be in the state it is in today, which is the state of being fixed,” said the CEO of Hastings Pier Charity.

“Every single person who has done anything on behalf of the pier should be extremely proud that they have made a difference.”

He said this includes the potentially thousands of individuals ranging from trustees of the Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust through to those who have put money into collecting tins.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

http://www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/news/people-power-all-important-in-pier-success-1-5417766

Are we in the news!

 

People’s piers: co-operative and community solutions for heritage assets
http://www.uk.coop/sites/storage/public/downloads/peoples_piers.pdf

Rescue seaside piers from neglectful private ownership, says report
The Guardian
http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/26/seaside-piers-neglect-community
Hastings Pier in East Sussex was destroyed by arson in 2010. The council has since bought the pier from its private owners for restoration.
Brighton's Palace Pier should be sold to the community, research ...
The Argus

Brighton should follow Hastings' lead when it comes to pier ownership, new ... As an example, she cited Hastings Pier, which has been returned to local ...
Community ownership call to turn tide for neglected seaside piers
Yorkshire Post
Hastings Pier, which was ravaged by fire in October 2010, has been returned to local ownership ahead of a £14m project to revive the battered Victorian ...
Piers 'trapped in a cycle' of neglectful ownership

ITV News
http://www.itv.com/news/update/2013-08-26/piers-trapped-in-a-cycle-of-neglectful-ownership/
Piers are "trapped in a cycle" of poor ownership which is not managing the ... We believe that there is a new option, now being pioneered for Hastings Pier, ...

Celebrate!

August Bank Holiday 1872 the Peerless Pier was opened! 

August bank holiday Monday 1872

August bank holiday Monday 1872, was only the second such August bank holiday, and the first to bring out significant numbers of holidaymakers, because the creating statute - the 1871 Bank Holiday Act - was not passed until mid-1871. The act established four bank holidays: Easter Monday, Whit Monday, the first Monday in August and Boxing Day. Good Friday and Christmas Day were considered traditional days of rest (as were Sundays) and therefore it was felt unnecessary to include them in the act. During the 1870s, these national 'days off' brought many more working class people to the seaside between Easter and August - a new generation of trippers seeking fun, not health, and trying to escape from the stifling confines of Victorian urban life.

http://www.hastingschronicle.net/hastingsPier.html

Back to more mundane things - that anchor....

According to my sources, the anchor from the pier is taking up residence with RX134.

If it is not the anchor from the pier, there would seem to be a proliferation of anchors, looking for a home!

The information boards are popular....

Way to go…..

Here goes then…..

The Day as it happened……

And more to come…….

The cutting of the chain that bound the pier……..

The Hastings Pier Charity is very pleased to announce that today we shall be announcing the official handover of The Pier.

After years of hard work, campaigning and fundraising, the future of The Pier is now in local ownership.

At 10.00am today we shall at last be removing the chains to allow access for works to begin. Initial works will include renovating the Pier’s Grade II listed substructure, refurbishing the only pavilion still standing on the Pier and the construction of a new visitor centre, which will also serve as an archive and display area for the Pier’s local heritage.

“We want a new pier as well as to restore the old, using sustainable materials wherever we can. We’ll provide open space not just for promenading but for family and community celebrations; a real attraction for tourists and a valuable asset for locals and the town" said Simon Opie, CEO of the Hastings Pier Charity, which will oversee the build. “We want to offer a 21st. century take on the traditional English pier and for it to be used often by locals and visitors alike, a Peoples’ Pier.”

“This is great news for the future of Hastings Pier.  We are full of admiration for Hastings Pier Charity and its successful campaign to ensure a much-loved landmark is saved and restored to its rightful place at the heart of the community.  This ambitious project will also create jobs, opportunities for new skills to be mastered and provide the perfect environment for local people to get involved as things progress.” Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF.

Thanks for all your continued support and we will be sending out a newsletter very soon with an update.

‘They’ said “it is one good storm away from collapse”

On 18 November 2009 Kerry and Michelle Michael(of Weston-Super-Mare Pier fame) announced "It would appear that the pier is deteriorating much faster than we thought and, in the opinion of our structural engineers, is in danger of imminent collapse. Their comments were that it is ‘one good storm away from collapse’.”

The Michael announcement coincided with the longest period of gales in the eastern Channel for many years, with winds gusting to hurricane-force 75 mph on 22 November 2009. The pier did not collapse!
[Hastings Pier - The Hastings Chronicle - www.hastingschronicle.net/hastingsPier.html‎ ]

Grand Pier owners decide against attraction revamp - Weston Mercury
www.thewestonmercury.co.uk/.../grand_pier_owners_decide_against_att...‎
18 Nov 2009 - ... funds' such as lottery monies etc, I cannot see a future for the structure at all. "It would appear that the pier is deteriorating much faster than we thought and in the opinion of our structural engineers, is in danger of imminent collapse. "Their comments were that it is 'one good storm away from collapse.

Hastings Pier "one storm away from collapse" - Local - Hastings and ...
www.hastingsobserver.co.uk/.../hastings-pier-quot-one-storm-away-from...‎
20 Nov 2009 - Hastings Pier is just "one storm away from collapse" and the cost of repair has spiralled to more than £50million.

after storm...

after storm.....

Storm....

The Reconstruction Team in early attendance for the aerial study of the Pier by remote drone. Kayak and safety gear kindly loaned by Epic Life.

Aerial Views Across the Centuries!

Please respect the copyright – Thank you.

Aerial Views

Video made from the drone flying over the Pier on Thursday 1st August 2013