Volunteers behind the restoration of Queen’s Pier say they are making good progress on phase two of the project.

The Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust signed a five-year lease with the Manx government in July 2017 to repair and reopen the first three bays of the long-closed Victorian landmark in Ramsey.

Work to complete the first three bays was completed in spring 2021.

Now attention is focused on phase two, which comprises the next five bays. There are 60 bays in total.

Replacement steel for bays four and five was delivered in early November, delivery having been delayed when the original supplier ceased trading.

A big lift operation using a telehandler operating from the beach was carried out over three days later that same month to swap the corroded old iron girders for the new steel.

Now volunteers have been working flat out to fit the timber work ready for the new decking.

Project manager Graham Curphey said: ‘Things have been going well at the pier. We are now well under way with phase two of the project.

‘We have the new steel on bays 4 and 5, the main wood beams are in place and the railway track has been laid.

‘The outside main wood beams are in place that carry the hand rail stanchions, and stringers are being laid.

‘We have just commenced preparing the decking planks for laying on these two bays. With the dry weather we carry on despite the chilling wind.’

The steel has been ordered for bay 6 and this is expected to be delivered by the end of March. This will be fitted when bays 4 and 5 have been completed.

Graham said: ‘This year, all things being equal of course, we hope to see a great leap forward in our quest for the restoration of phase two.

‘Everything, as usual, depends on the money coming in. We are very tight to complete this phase, money-wise.

‘This is due, in the main, to the ever-increasing costs of the materials we need, energy costs for our steel fabricators, galvanising and painting.’

Fund-raising efforts, through coffee mornings and bingo and quiz nights, continue apace.

The pier is open every Sunday afternoon during the summer months and Graham said the community support for these events was ‘superb’.