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4th MARCH 1996
Since your committee's last
newsletter in September last year, there has been a considerable
degree of progress towards our ultimate aim of having the Pier
refurbished and opened to the public, together with the train, the
planet, being restored to the Pier railway.
The actual fabric of the Pier is
being improved with the allocation of £40,000 per year from Central
Government, with the 1995/6 provision being applied to the
replacement and fitting of new tie rods and fish plates. Hopefully
this work will make the struts secure by the end of the year, and
then the attention can be turned to the superstructure, starting
from the landward end.
We have invited Mr Norman Wisdom OBE
to become Patron of your charity, and we are very pleased to say
that he has accepted this role. We hope that with his support we
shall be able to raise our profile significantly.
In the UK, this year has been
designated "the year of the pier", with the 30 June being
earmarked as "the day of the pier".
The Friends intend staging a number
of attractions at or around the Queens Pier on that afternoon, with
the principal objective of promoting our cause, whilst providing
entertainment on what we hope will be a warm summer Sunday
afternoon. The Department of Transport have agreed to a section of
the Pier being opened to the public, and we shall seek a road
closure order for Stanley Mount East. Displays will be made by the
RNLI, Manx Classic Car Club and IOM Fire Service, and there will be
a variety of musical acts, stalls, children's rides, static displays
and of course access to the Pier itself.
We hope that the weather will be kind
to us, and, with the annual flag day being the day before, we shall
be extremely active that weekend, and would welcome any help that
you can give us.
To mark the day, we have commissioned
a certificated limited edition run of 100 model vans, and these will
be priced at £5.95, with advance orders being taken now.
The Isle of Man Bank Limited, our
bankers, have very kindly agreed to sponsor the costs of these
models, which will provide a memento and also raise funds. We are
very grateful to them.
Another important date for your diary
is the AGM which takes place on Wednesday 17 April at St Paul's
Hall, Ramsey, at 7.30 p.m.
The sale of Michele Tramontana's
beautiful prints of the Pier have been encouraging, and we would ask
that you bear them in mind when giving presents. They are mounted
and at the discounted price of £15 each are excellent value.
We would like to thank all our
members for their past support, and look forward to its continuing
in the future.
If you feel able to come and lend us
a hand on the weekend of 29/30 June, please would you let one of
your committee know, and in the meantime we look forward to seeing
you at the AGM.
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