Jubilant campaigners behind ambitious plans to rejuvenate Queen’s Pier, Ramsey, are hoping to start work this year.

Retired engineer Tom Durrant, chairman of the Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust, last week signed a five-year lease from the government that will allow restoration work to begin.

It was a momentous day for Tom, who is determined his dream will become a reality.

But the volunteers’ trust needs the weather on their side and for pledges of funding to be translated into hard cash donations.

And with no taxpayers’ money involved at all, they want corporate sponsors to come forward to support this real community endeavour.

So far the trust has planning permission and has raised half of the £60,000 it needs to restore and refurbish the first three bays. Replacement steelwork, made to measure and galvanised, is being ordered from a local company and will take six weeks to arrive.

Tom told the Examiner: ’Yes, we will still try to start this year. It very much depends on whether we can reach the £60,000. We have got half that from the wonderful Manx people.

’If the funding does not come in we will have to delay with the weather. But we want to do our best.

’It is important that people with money out there will not give anything if they think government is helping out. It has got to be one or the other.’

Tom is confident that work on the first three bays can be completed within the five-year lease period. ’If we have a lot more funds we will continue down the pier,’ he said.

’People have all said they will help us out once we have got the lease. It is time for them to now come forward.’

Tom stressed that all volunteers will be given training before doing any work on the pier and safety has to be a priority.

He added: ’I have a vision to make this pier the best attraction on the island.

’We are not just restoring it.

’It needs an income of £90,000 a year to preserve it.’