Michele Tramontana, chairman of the Friends of Queen’s Pier, hands over a cheque for £11,288 to Tom Durrant, head of the trust that has begun work to restore the landmark.

The Friends led the charge to register the pier as a listed building. And now they have handed over the baton -and contents of their bank account - to the Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust which has secured a lease to restore the first three bays. Volunteers, led by Captain Stuart Mackenzie, have been clearing rotten timber from the first bay and made the entrance building safe.