Birnbeck Pier Wood to be given New Lease of Life

As part of its project to restore Birnbeck Pier in Weston-super-Mare, North Somerset Council has signed an agreement with Somerset Wood Recycling to give a new lease of life to wood salvaged from the Grade II* Listed pier.

The partnership aims to create a circular sustainability process: wood recovered that can’t be reused on the pier will be turned into items which will go on sale at the new shop to be housed in the Pier Master’s Cottage.

All income generated from the sale of these items will be reinvested in the day-to-day maintenance of the site.

This initiative has been made possible thanks to funding secured by the council from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Of which, a grant has been agreed that will enable Weston-based Somerset Wood Recycling to deliver the project.

Somerset Wood Recycling salvages second-hand timber from across Somerset and turns it into beautiful, handmade furniture. As a Community Interest Company (CIC), their focus is to provide community benefit rather than private profit.

They provide training and employment opportunities in woodworking, carpentry, recycling, and general life skills for local people who are furthest from the labour market. These opportunities offer people a second chance for training and employment skills, which in many cases lead to permanent employment.

As part of the project, Somerset Wood Recycling will offer a six-month placement in carpentry and woodworking to four trainees. At least two of these placements will be offered to young people through the council’s Youth Justice Service.

Tom Palmer, Director of Somerset Wood Recycling, said:

“We're excited to be working with North Somerset Council, and their appointed contractor Mackley, on the Birnbeck Pier project. We're looking forward to finding a new purpose for timber reclaimed from the pier; creating employment and training opportunities for local people while making a little bit of Weston's heritage available for people to own.”

Councillor Mark Canniford, North Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for the Birnbeck Project, said:

“This partnership forms part of our comprehensive community engagement plan for the project, which has been made possible thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. Not only does this enable us to repurpose the wood from our much-loved ‘old pier’, by working with Somerset Wood Recycling we’re able to get the community involved with the process too.

On top of that, the money raised will go towards maintaining the pier after our restoration project has finished. It’s a win win all round! Well done to our Heritage and Design team for making this happen. I look forward to seeing the results.”

Metalwork recovered from the pier structure, including seatbacks and lampposts, is being recovered and tested. All sound material will be cleaned and reused. Pieces that are too damaged or have been lost will be sympathetically replaced.

To find out more about the Birnbeck Pier project, visit the Birnbeck Regeneration Trust’s information hub next to the pier or the council’s website at; www.nsomerset.gov.uk/BirnbeckPierProject