10 Coinslot May 20 - May 26, 2011 Amusements


Lottery money sets Hastings Pier on road to recovery


Coast College Hastings, apprenticeships to develop the next generation of pier engineers. Much of this will be run from a purpose-built Heritage Learning Centre on the pier.


PIERS


Eight months after it was decimated by fire, Hastings Pier has been awarded the development funding that many hope will see it echo the successful revival of Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier.


he Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust’s (HPWRT) bid to save Hastings Pier has been given the green light by the Her- itage Lottery Fund (HLF). Development funding of £357,400 has been awarded by HLF to enable the Trust to move to the next stage of its plans before a final decision


T


is made on a full HLF grant of £8.75m. HPWRT’s project


involves the heritage-led transformation of the pier by restoring its substructure, deck and railings, after a sus- pected arson attack destroyed over 90 per cent of its upper structure in October 2010.


A restoration programme


will preserve the Eugenius Birch structure, as well as introducing new structural elements.


An accompanying educa-


tion programme will deliver learning opportunities for all ages and include hands-on heritage learning and, in association with Sussex


DCMS launches pre-consultation on proposals to move May Day bank holiday


TOURISM Seaside amusements and family attraction opera-


tors are being given an opportunity to let the gov- ernment know their thoughts on its proposal to


move the May Day bank holiday.


The Department for Cul-


ture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has launched a pre- consultation on the plans,


which could see the May Day bank holiday scrapped and moved to October 21, where it would be renamed Trafalgar Day to commemo- rate the famous naval


battle, or brought forward several weeks to coincide with St George’s Day in England and St David’s Day in Wales.


The idea was put forward by tourism minister John Penrose in March as part of the government’s Tourism Policy, with the aim of creat- ing a more even spread of bank holidays across the year, which he hopes would boost domestic tourism. “We have all recently enjoyed two long four-day weekends courtesy of the royal wedding and the Easter break,” Penrose commented.


“I am well aware there will be many who relished the chance of taking a long extended holiday but equally many may have pre- ferred to spread the public holidays further apart. “At the heart of our plans is a desire to extend the


A commercial programme will see the creation of the People’s Pier Company, a community-shareholder owned management com- pany run by an experienced leisure management team, to manage the pier. The commer- cial and educational activities will provide employment and volunteering opportunities for Hastings.


By the end of the project,


HPWRT believe the pier will be structurally sound and offer a great investment plat- form for the future, as well as a catalyst for the economic, social and cultural regenera- tion of Hastings and the British seaside. Hailing the “dogged per- sistence” of its members and the wider community over the past five years, it said there is now a real opportu- nity for the Hastings resi- dents, businesses,


and schools - as well as visitors  Email: nn@sjc.co.uk


and supporters from all over the world - to continue to help save the pier and rein- vent it for future generations. Angela Davis, HPWRT


trustee who led the applica- tion, commented: “We are absolutely delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund is sup- porting our project. This news strengthens our resolve to continue working with Hastings Borough Council to secure the pier’s ownership so we can deliver the vision of an iconic pier for Hastings.” Stuart McLeod, head of HLF South East, said: “The Heritage Lottery Fund was extremely impressed by the Hastings Pier & White Rock Trust’s ability to mobilise enthusiastic support from the town’s local community for this innovative project. “It was evident to us that


this was a historic structure that people really cared about. The Trust is right at the start of their journey to fully restore the pier and we look forward to working closely with them in the coming months as their plans begin to take further shape.”


TOURISM MINISTER JOHN PENROSE


tourism season and hope- fully encourage more people to holiday at home, but I am open to all views.” The DCMS said it wel- comed suggestions and supporting evidence on alternatives for a new date and occasion to replace the May Day bank holiday, as well as the option to retain it, from all individuals, com- panies and organisations during the pre-consultation. This will enable it to make the main consultation, which will run for at least 12 weeks during the summer, a comprehensive study of all the issues that are affected by the date and occasion of a bank holiday, it added. Operators have until June 9 to contact the DCMS, either by emailing bankholiday@culture.gsi.go v.uk, through social net- work Twitter using hashtag #bankhol or by writing to: Bank Holiday Pre-Consulta- tion, Tourism Team, Depart- ment for Culture, Media and Sport, 2-4 Cockspur Street, London SW1Y 5DH.


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SEASIDE BINGO STUDY


A bingo website is launching an investigation into the decline of prize bingo at seaside amusement arcades. Sandra Thompson, editor of Bingo Supermar- ket, is opening a prize bingo stall at the Big Top FEC in Ingold- mells for three months from next Friday as part of its investi- gation.


EXMOUTH ISSUED DISPERSAL ORDER


Devon and Cornwall Police have instigated a


dispersal order covering the entire town centre and seafront in Exmouth after complaints about anti- social behaviour. The order gives police the power to move on or arrest groups of two or more people in the areas it covers.


GUIDE HERALDS SKEGNESS


The latest edition of the Lonely Planet guide to Great Britain has described Skegness as a resort for “good family


fun”. It also said the Lin- colnshire resort possessed the “ABC of the English sea- side - amusements, bingo and candy-floss.”


TORBAY BEACHES ENGLAND’S CLEANEST


Keep Britain Tidy has identi- fied Torbay as having Eng- land’s cleanest beaches, awarding it more Blue Flag awards for water quality than


any other resort. Torbay was given six flags, while Corn- wall and Southend-on-Sea each received five.


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