National Piers Society
The National Piers Society (NPS) is a registered charity in the United Kingdom dedicated to promoting and sustaining interest in the preservation and continued enjoyment of seaside piers.
It was founded in 1979, with Sir John Betjeman as the first Honorary President.[1] Currently the role is filled by Gavin Henderson, CBE, President of Trinity College of Music and a former member of the Arts Council, with Tim Mickleburgh (Chair 1995-2003) as Honorary Vice President. The NPS became a registered charity in 1999, and as a society publishes two periodicals; a "Guide to British Piers" and a quarterly magazine. The society also lobbies heritage bodies, lottery boards, local authorities and the media on pier issues.
The Annual General Meeting takes place at a different resort each year. In addition to establishing regional branches, the society is working to create a National Piers Museum.
The NPS maintains links with the relevant trade association, the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions, and the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society.
Since 1996 the society has presented an annual Pier of the Year award. Past awards have been given to:
- Eastbourne Pier 1997
- Brighton Palace Pier 1998.
- Clevedon Pier 1999
- Cromer Pier 2000
- Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier 2001
- Southwold Pier 2002
- Southport Pier 2003
- Blackpool North Pier 2004
- Llandudno Pier 2005
- Worthing Pier 2006
- Southend Pier 2007
- Deal Pier 2008
- Saltburn Pier 2009
- Boscombe Pier 2010
- Weston-super-Mare Grand Pier 2011
- Swanage Pier 2012
- Clevedon Pier 2013
The society also presents a bi-annual award for engineering excellence, the Peter Mason Award named after a past Chairman.
In 2005, a limited company - The National Piers Society Ltd. - was created as the NPS trading arm.
Notes and references
- ↑ www.piers.co.uk Retrieved 24 February 2012