Black day, bright future
In my last blog, I compared the sight of a roaming pack of asbos, to something straight out of a horror film. I had hoped to follow it up with something a little more positive. Well friends, it is my sad duty to report on an event right out of a disaster movie. I awoke, as I’m sure most of you did, to the news that our Grand Old Pier was ablaze, and to the ominous sight of a column of thick smoke, turning the clouds over Weston a dark shade of black. It didn’t look good when I left for work, and it looked worse when I observed the ruins on my lunch break. An army of emergency services, more press coverage than Weston has ever had, and one day later, it still hasn’t sunk in. And no amount of visits to the seafront to check that it really happened can diminish the shock.
I can’t claim to have been a regular visitor to the Pier, I can’t have set foot on it for five or six years. 2p machines have never really got me going, but the Michael family looked to have so much more planned for it, with the Go Kart track and Climbing Wall sounding like huge steps in the right direction. The kind of re-branding that even gets an old cynic like me ready to give it another chance. Just what Weston needed really, a shift away from some of the dated and poorly maintained buildings that pepper our town. But now no more.
There are many questions hanging over Weston right now. Can the tourist trade recover? Can Weston recover? Can the town’s population come to terms with it?
These are all vital issues to be addressed, and all will be answered in time. I happen to think that the future of this well-loved, but slightly shabby hometown of mine will not only see it fully recovering, but given time to get itself back on its feet, restore its place as a genuine jewel in the crown of British tourist attractions.
Instead of indulging in this fine nation’s favourite past time of out and out pessimism, we should instead consider all of the positive things that could in time result from this.
The Michaels have pledged their commitment to rebuilding a Pier on the site. I say a pier, because who knows what it may end up looking like? It could be a brick by brick recreation of what once was, which is fine but slightly retrospective, or a glorious celebration of Weston’s past, present, and future, which is my preferred option.
Just as it came back from the fire of 1930 in a contemporary, and dare I say, grander, fashion, the old model will re-emerge as a shiny, beacon of fun. This may take some time, but in the meanwhile, it gives North Somerset Council plenty of time to realise the great, big, gaping hole at our town’s heart, leaving attractive destinations perilously thin on the ground. Councillors can desperately expound on the virtues of the sand sculptures, but as good as they are, soon they will be gone, but the void will remain.
So lets take this ‘opportunity’ to not only get the Pier back where it belongs, but to ensure that when it does return, it is supported by a thriving, exciting, and credible, tourist infrastructure, capable of cementing Weston as the West Country resort to be in the 21st century.
Come on Weston, let’s show ‘em the meaning of community spirit!