THE National Piers Society have gathered together to discuss North Somerset's piers and their futures.

The society held their Annual General Meeting (AGM) over the weekend (June 16-18).

Around 70 individuals, many of which were historians and engineers, met up to discuss The Grand Pier, Birnbeck Pier and Clevedon Pier. There were also tours and special talks.

Allan Bodie kicked off the weekend with a talk at The Grand Pier, detailing Weston's history as a resort.

This was shortly followed by a tour of The Grand Pier, then an AGM dinner before concluding on Sunday with a visit to view Birnbeck Pier, followed by a tour of Clevedon Pier.

Cllr Mark Canniford, executive member for spatial planning, placemaking and economy from North Somerset Counci,l said: “It’s wonderful North Somerset was chosen as the location for this year’s National Piers Society AGM.

"It’s been a great opportunity to showcase all our piers and the great history North Somerset has. It’s a particularly exciting time, with Birnbeck Pier developments proceeding at pace.  Over the last year, we’ve worked with partners to secure three rounds of funding with the aim to restore Birnbeck Pier for all to enjoy once again.” 

Tim Wardley, chair of The National Piers Society, added: “We had a brilliant weekend, seeing the success of the Grand Pier for ourselves and looking forward to a better future for Birnbeck Pier.

"The sad decline of Birnbeck has been a longstanding concern for the Society so we are excited to finally see real progress towards its restoration. We hope one day we can award it our coveted Pier of the Year title, something that Clevedon Pier has managed to achieve for a record three times.

"As a favourite pier among members, Clevedon was the perfect place to round off our AGM weekend.”

A spokesperson from The Grand Pier concluded: "We were honoured to be the host venue for the National Piers Society AGM weekend, it was truly a pleasure to welcome over 70 national Pier enthusiasts to Weston-super-mare.

"The weekend was a big celebration of all the Piers across the UK, from the Friday evening drinks reception and lecture to the Pier tour and Gala Dinner. It was a remarkable weekend, which perfectly commemorated the Year of the Pier 2023."