Supporters of the restoration of Queen’s Pier are being urged to sponsor a plank.

Money raised will be used to fund work on the next two bays of the Ramsey pier.

The Queen’s Pier Restoration Trust signed a lease with the government in July last year to begin work on bringing the long-closed Victoria landmark back to life.

Since then, volunteers have made remarkable progress, working most weekends - weather permitting - to strip back decking in the first bay to expose the ironwork.

donation

Fund-raising, including a £10,000 donation from the Eric and Marion Scott Trust, has secured the money needed to order replacement steel for that first bay.

But now a sponsor a plank scheme aims to raised the cash needed for the next two bays.

A spokesman for the trust said: ’Many supporters have suggested we should have a scheme to buy the new planks which will form the deck of the refurbished pier.

’Each plank purchased can have a plaque adjacent to the plank or planks they have bought, and we are working with the Workshop for the Disabled in Douglas to keep this a genuine community project.

’In turn they are supporting the pier by keeping the cost as low as possible.’

At present, the trust can only sell planks for the first three bay. Additional planks will come available when the lease is extended.

In a standard bay there are three planks - a north and south of about 9ft and a central plank between the tram tracks of just less than 3ft.

Each north and south plank in a standard bay will cost £40 plus VAT. But bays 1 and 2 have varied width planks of up to 17 feet each, priced between £55 and £90 plus VAT.

If a plank is donated to the trust it will be fitted in a numbered position and a plaque affixed nearby.

The short central planks are reserved for children and cost £10 plus VAT. There is no room for a plaque so each central plank will have a dedication or message entered on a website.

As a special offer anyone who donates a north and south plank at the same time can get the accompanying central plank without extra cost provided the dedication is with respect to a child.

Each donated plank will be acknowledged with a certificate indicating the bay and the numbered location where the plank will be fitted.

Positions are allocated on a first come, first served, basis.

It is currently the intention to create the plaques in batches and then purchasers will be advise when they can be collected from the pier office for safe keeping.

It could, of course, be some time before the plaques can be fixed on the pier as the ironwork has to be replaced before the new deck is laid.

The trust has set up an on-line site at www.qprt.im to allow people to buy the planks.