Supporters of Ramsey Pier will soon be able to take their first steps on the landmark.

The timber decking has been installed on bay one as part of an ambitious community-led restoration project.

While the first section of the pier won’t now be open to the public until next year, selected groups will be invited on by the volunteer trust, starting today (Thursday) with members of the fundraising team.

Others who sponsored planks and stanchions will be invited on towards the end of the summer when their plaques will have been fitted on the pier.

Project manager Stuart McKenzie said: ’We are not far off finishing bay one now.

’All the planks are down now and the handrails are in position and they will be painted green in due course.

’At the same time we are working on bays two and three. The steel is on for bay two but bay three is awaiting the use of the sponsored crane from IoM Heavy Cranes and then we can work on the timber.’

He said the trust won’t be given permission by the Department of Infrastructure to open the pier to the public until bays one, two and three are signed off by structural engineers.

But Stuart said: ’I am hoping we will be able to invite small selected groups down to actually stand on the pier itself when we put the plaques up for bay one so people who sponsored planks will be able to see them.

’But we won’t be able to open it as such, it will be severely restricted access.

’I would have thought towards the end of the summer we will get the plaques down and I’m hoping to arrange access in small groups.’

The volunteer trust signed a five-year lease in July 2017 to refurbish the first three bays of the Victorian landmark.

Attention is now starting to move to phase 2, with sponsorship sought for steel, beams and stanchions for bays four, five and six.

Estimated restoration costs are £50,000 per bay.