One year on
This time last year we woke on the morning of October 6th to the grim sight of our pier in full flame. It was on every national news channel. The fire threw up huge angry flames against the early morning sky.
It drew residents from all over town. We were drawn to the flames. We gazed miserably at the destruction in front of us. I was among the crowds the next day speculating on its future.
We tried to be brave and to look to the future. One year on more has been achieved than we could have dreamt of.
After the fire the efforts to plan a new pier were redoubled. The Hastings Pier and White Rock Trust (www.hpwrt.co.uk) successfully pulled together talented and professional local volunteers to assemble a plan for the lottery. And that plan has succeeded.
The Heritage Lottery Fund has pledged £8.75m for our pier rebuild. In order to access that full sum we need to complete the development project of £350k, raise £1.1m, and complete the compulsory purchase order of the pier itself. All those hurdles are achievable, but we need to continue to give our support to the Trust.
Lots of local fund-raising is continuing, to support the need for the Lottery matched funding requirement. Many of us have shown support by adopting a plank, which can be done online. It’s a fun opportunity to get your name and a comment on this iconic, exciting rebuild. And the Council are continuing to push forward with the compulsory purchase order.
So much progress has been made since the arson of last year. But we need to continue to support the Hastings Pier and White Rick Trust to make sure that we achieve our goal, namely, a new People’s Pier, proudly reaching into the sea in the middle of our town.
There is no related post.
