Grand Pier Box Set DVD Released

A box set charting the re-building of the Grand Pier has just been released on DVD. The three DVDs entitled A Trip Through Time, Phoenix from the Flames and A New Dawn chart the progress of the iconic landmark from when it was first built in 1904, through the devastating fire of July 2008, to the grand re-opening in October 2010. The box set contains first-hand tales from visitors and staff, plus rare music, photographs, film and recreations. The final DVD in the trilogy, A New Dawn, tells the story of the hectic rush to complete the Grand Pier in time for October half-term and to recruit 300 staff to run the attraction. A Trip Through Time provides a history of the Grand Pier from when it was built in 1904 to the fire of July 2008 and Phoenix from the Flames charts the progress of the Grand Pier from gaining planning permission through to construction. Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I was determined we would document the re-building of the Grand Pier so firstly we needed to produce a DVD to explain the history, then one which covered the ups and downs of the re-build and finally, one which charts the run up to our great opening day. I am delighted with how this box set has turned out and am sure it will be treasured by generations to come. “The Grand Pier is a very special place for an awful lot of our visitors and charting its re-birth has been an emotional rollercoaster”. Copies of the box set are available in the Grand Pier shops at £29.99 or individual DVDs are available at £12.99 each from www.grandpier.co.uk with a £1.99 p&p charge.

Stand Up Comedian Jim Davidson To Play The Grand Pier

The legendary stand-up comedian Jim Davidson OBE will play a gig at the Grand Pier as part of his UK tour this year. On Friday 30th March Jim Davidson will bring his own very special brand of humour to Weston-super-Mare. Jim Davidson is firmly established as one of Britain’s top stand-up comedians and is well known to TV viewers as host of the BBC TV game shows, the Generation Game and Big Break. He received an OBE for his services to charity and has three coveted Showbusiness Personality of the Year awards from the Variety Club of Great Britain, The Grand Order of Water Rats and Comic Heritage. Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said he was delighted to have secured Jim Davidson to do a show at the Pier as part of his UK tour. He said: “We have had some top-class acts perform at the Grand Pier since we opened as an event space and this booking firmly establishes us as a favourite venue in the South West region. I hope this is the first of many comedy nights to come to the Grand Pier”. Tickets for this adult –only event are currently on sale in the Grand Pier shop on the first floor or by going to www.grandpier.co.uk. All tickets are seated and cost £20 or £22.50 including the online booking fee. Doors open at 7.30pm. Seating is not allocated.

School's Out Party On The Pier DJ Special

The Grand Pier will be holding a ‘Party on the Pier DJ Special’ on Friday 10th February to celebrate half-term. A selection of Club DJs will play at the venue, including Matt Nelmes (Lost Boys), The Real! Yogi Bear (DJ/Producer) and DJ Party Potter. Tickets are on sale now at £5, including unlimited rides. To purchase tickets go to www.grandpier.co.uk and follow the links or visit the Grand Pier shop on the first floor of the Pavilion building. Doors open at 6pm and the evening will finish at 10pm.

Win Your Christmas at the Grand Pier

The Grand Pier is running a special seasonal competition for visitors this Christmas. Everyone coming to the Pier is invited to guess how many Christmas tree lights are on the giant tree in the Great Hall in the Pavilion building. Entrants have the chance to win Christmas. The prize is £250 worth of high street vouchers for Christmas gifts, £100 of Grand Pier ride vouchers and £100 worth of supermarket vouchers for food. The winning boy and girl, who guess to the nearest number of fairy light on the tree, will both receive a gigantic Christmas present from the Grand Pier. All you have to do to enter the competition is to come the Grand Pier, pick up a form from Santa’s Grotto, have a guess and put your form in our entry box. Closing date for entries is Thursday 22nd December at 4pm. Winners will be notified immediately.

Free Carol Concert at the Grand Pier

A free family carol concert will be held on the Grand Pier on Sunday 18th December. The Salvation Army and Weston Brass bands will be playing, so everyone can join in a sing-along of their favourite carols. There will also be some soloists including the very popular local singer Sarah Eden-Winn, plus Broadoak School Choir and performers from Stagecoach. The family carol concert will start at 4.30pm. There will also be the chance to visit Santa’s Grotto, for those who have not been to see Father Christmas yet. Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “Everyone is welcome to come along to this free event. We hope to see families coming to join in with the singing and to get into the Christmas spirit”.

The World-Famous Drifters Are To Play At The Grand Pier

Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier is to host a Drifters concert on Friday 24th February 2012. The booking follows on from a hugely successful Three Degrees concert staged at the Pier in October of this year. The Drifters, who formed in 1953, are one of the biggest selling bands of all time. They have a huge catalogue of over 50 hits, including classics like ‘Saturday Night at the Movies’, ‘Under the Boardwalk’, ‘Up on the Roof’ and ‘Kissing in the Back Row of the Movies’. The group have sold in excess of 214 million singles and 114 million albums across the world, and they have over 55 years experience in the business, making them one of the longest serving bands in history. Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I am absolutely delighted the Drifters have agreed to perform here. I always envisaged the Grand Pier becoming a major venue in the South West and I am very excited we are now attracting world-class acts. “We are starting to bring some really big names to Weston-super-Mare. To have the Drifters perform so soon after the Three Degrees is fantastic. The Pier has also recently hosted two sell-out Wurzels concerts. “The Grand Pier is now so much more than a family entertainment venue. It is a major visitor attraction that is bringing visitors and concert-goers into the town in the daytime and evening throughout the year”. Tickets are now available from the Grand Pier shop on the first floor of the Pavilion building or by going to www.grandpier.co.uk Standing tickets are £14.50, seated tickets are £19.50 and VIP tickets are £25.00 VIP tickets will include premium seating and view.

End of Term Party on the Pier

Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier is to host an end of term party headlined by the X Factor’s Lloyd Daniels on Wednesday 21st December. Sixteen year old Welsh youngster Lloyd took the X Factor by storm and is still buzzing after the release of his new album Suburbian Girl. He will be supported by the popular local bands ‘Show it Off’ and ‘Bodyshock’. To celebrate the end of term and the start of the Christmas holidays, the Grand Pier will also be laying on half-price rides all night, plus a club DJ to make sure everyone gets into the party mood. Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I am very pleased to have Lloyd Daniels headlining our end of term party. He received huge internet support during the X Factor and has a big following amongst the younger generation. With age on his side, Lloyd looks to have an extremely bright future ahead of him. I am sure it will be a really good night that will get everyone in the festive mood”. Tickets are on sale now from the Grand Pier shop on the first floor of the Pavilion building or by going to www.grandpier.co.uk. Tickets are priced at £5, entry only (£6 online booking price) or £9.50 to include entry plus unlimited rides between 6.30pm and 9.30pm (£10.50 online booking price).

Grand Pier Celebrates Its First Birthday

The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare celebrates its first birthday on 23rd October. In the first year of opening the attraction has welcomed just over 3 million visitors.

To celebrate the birthday the Grand Pier will be putting on entertainment and special ride offers over the party weekend of 22nd – 23rd October.

Visitors to the Grand Pier will be greeted by clowns, mascots and fire eaters. Throughout the weekend dancers, children’s entertainers and gymnasts will perform and a giant ‘special birthday offers wheel’ will be spun. Each segment of the wheel will have a very special offer including cheap rides, and food and drink. Wherever the wheel stops will decide what’s on offer at the time.

Face Painters will be in the Adventure Cove soft play area all weekend and a selection of musicians will perform in Captain Jack’s bar.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “It seems hard to believe it is a year ago that we opened the gates on a dark, rainy morning to see the thousands of people who had queued overnight to get a first glimpse of the new pier.
“This is the first time in its history, that the Pier has been open continuously throughout the year. I didn’t know what to expect, but there have certainly been some surprises along the way. Boxing Day and New Year’s Day were very busy and in April we had over half a million visitors, which was fantastic, and nobody could have predicted the bumper weekend we enjoyed when the sun shone a couple of weeks ago.

“The Grand Pier is now firmly established as a wedding and concert venue and we have the largest ballroom in the area.

“This year’s Christmas parties and concerts are selling out fast and we are already turning our attention to the concert and events programme for next year, which will be even bigger. It feels great to have got the first year under our belt and to be looking to the future.

Rides from £1 at the Grand Pier

From now until the end of September all rides on the Grand Pier will cost just £1 on Friday evenings from 5pm to 9pm and during the rest of the week (and weekends) all rides will be half-price. This will include the Grand Pier’s famous F1 simulators and Go Karts.

There will also be special offers in the children’s soft place area, Adventure Cove during term-time. Entry into Adventure Cove on weekdays will cost £1. A £3 meal and play deal is also available all day every day during term time.

Between 10am and 12 noon every Saturday and Sunday Adventure Cove will charge an entry fee of £3 and children will get to meet our special TV characters.

Giant Conservatory

Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier is to install a giant glass conservatory on the South Deck of the Pavilion building.

The conservatory, which will be more than 50 metres long and 10 metres wide, will cost over a quarter of a million pounds. The roof will open and retract electronically and the doors will all slide open and stack, so the whole area can be opened up on sunny days.

Work will begin this week and the conservatory will be ready for the October half-term holiday, one year on from when the Grand Pier re-opened after the fire.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “The conservatory will enable us to extend the season and allow our visitors to enjoy the great outdoors day to day during the winter months.

“It will also be used for special events like concerts and weddings and will be a great place to watch the Grand Pier firework display on 5th November”.

The conservatory will be specially constructed with tall, wide automatic doors at each end which will allow the land train to drive through it and turn around.

Ice Hockey World Championship Heats On The Grand Pier

The Grand Pier will host two rounds of the 33rd Table Ice Hockey World Championships when it is staged in Weston-super-Mare from 27th August to 3rd September 2011.

The Preliminaries will take place at the Grand Pier on Tuesday 30th August from 2pm – 6.30pm and the Final Heats on Friday September 2nd from 11am to 3pm.

Hundreds of competitors and their families from around the world will attend the event, which is being held in Weston-super-Mare for the first time.

The Grand Pier is sponsoring a coach excursion for competitors in the championship to discover the West Country. They will be taken on a tour of Cheddar Gorge, Wells Cathedral, Glastonbury Abbey and Clarks Village.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I am delighted to see new events coming to Weston and am glad to be involved in promoting the Grand Pier and the town to people from all over Europe”.

The World-Famous Three Degrees Are To Play At The Grand Pier

Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier is to host a Three Degrees concert on Friday 7th October. The famous trio had been asked to play live at the Pier by two local fans, Richard Buckner and Gary Langdale.

Richard and Gary, who run the Weston based energy surveying business, A1 Home Inspectors, have become friends with the Three Degrees after years of attending their concerts all over the world, and were delighted when the trio agreed to perform at the Grand Pier.

Richard Buckner, 34, said: “The Three Degrees always said they would come to our home town if they were invited and now that the Grand Pier is open they are finally coming here. Gary and I are really excited about being able to see our favourite group in Weston-super-Mare”.

The Three Degrees formed in 1963 in Philadephia. Over the years the trio has changed but their most successful line-up included Valerie Holiday, Helen Scott and Shelia Ferguson. That line-up performed for Prince Charles at his 30th birthday party and attended the pre-wedding party before his marriage to Lady Diana Spencer.
The line-up that will play the concert on the Grand Pier will be Helen Scott who joined the group in 1963, Valerie Holiday, who joined the group in 1967 and former Lady of the Supremes, who is a relatively new addition, Freddie Pool.

The Three Degrees 1974 single “When Will I See You Again?” was a huge international hit, peaking at Number Two in the US and topping the UK Singles Chart.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I am absolutely delighted the Three Degrees have agreed to perform here. I always envisaged the Grand Pier becoming a major venue in the South West and I am very excited that we are now attracting world-class acts”.

“We are starting to bring some really big names to Weston-super-Mare. The Grand Pier is now so much more than a family entertainment centre. It is a major visitor attraction that will bring visitors and concert-goers to the town in the daytime and evening throughout the year”.

A Motown tribute band will support the Three Degrees. Details will be announced soon. Tickets for the Three Degrees will go on sale shortly.

Wurzels Back To Wow The Crowds On The Grand Pier

Following the hugely successful Wurzels concert at the Grand Pier in May, the band has been booked to play again on Friday 11th November.

The last Wurzels concert on 21st May played to a crowd of over 2,000 fans in the Great Hall and was a sell out, with hundreds more disappointed. Tickets for the next concert are once again expected to sell out quickly.

After the last concert The Wurzels Tommy Banner said: “We had a fantastic gig with a crowd of over two thousand to welcome us onto the Grand Pier. We honestly did not know what to expect, because none of us could picture exactly where in the Pier they could accommodate so many people.

“However, the management and the staff did a brilliant job and when we came on stage it looked like a mini version of Glastonbury – and the atmosphere was just as amazing”.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “The Wurzels concert was a great success so I am absolutely delighted to have booked them to play the Grand Pier again”.

Tickets will go on sale on Thursday 21st July. The first five hundred pre sale tickets will be available at £7.50 (plus booking fee) via the web link on our Facebook page.

From Saturday 23rd July tickets will be on sale at www.grandpier.co.uk or from the Grand Pier gift shops which are located on the first floor of the Pavilion building and at the shore end of the Pier.

A day to remember for Chernobyl youngsters

The Grand Pier welcomed 12 youngsters from the area of Belarus close to the Chernobyl border this week. The children come from poor communities within 20 miles of the nuclear explosion site.

The youngsters, aged between seven and eleven years old, were treated to free ride vouchers and spent the morning experiencing the thrills to be had inside the Pavilion building.

Belarus is a land-locked country, so for almost all the youngsters this was the first time they had ever seen the sea and none of them had ever visited a Pier before.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “This is not the first time we have welcomed the Children of Chernobyl to the Grand Pier. It is great that we have now re-opened and are again able to give these youngsters a fantastic fun day out at the seaside”.

Their day trip to Weston-super-Mare included a ride on the famous donkeys, lunch at the Queenswood Hotel and a visit to the Seaquarium. The visit to Weston was organised by the Lions Club.

The children, who are enjoying a month long holiday in the UK, are staying with host families in the area. They have been brought over by The Children of Chernobyl charity, based in Wells, who have been bringing youngsters to Somerset for the past 20 years. The charity also supplies funds for village communities, hospitals and schools close to the controlled zone around Chernobyl.

John Price, Chairman of the Children of Chernobyl charity said: “We are grateful to the Lions Club in Weston for organising the day trip and to the Grand Pier for being so generous”.

Whilst the children are here they have medical and dental check-ups and there is evidence that a month in the UK strengthens their weakened immune systems.

GREAT GRAND PIER AIR DAY

The Grand Pier in Weston-super-Mare will be holding its very own Air Day on Wednesday 17th August.

First to perform on the day will be the Royal Artillery Parachute Team, the Black Knights, which is the official parachute display team for the Royal Artillery. They will begin their display at 11.30am. The five parachutists, who are all serving soldiers, each with between 300 and 600 jumps experience, will arrive in a Cessna 206 aircraft and will jump into an arena, which will be specially constructed on the beach.

The Black Knights will be followed at 1.30pm by the World’s only aerobatic formation wingwalking team, the Breitling Wingwalkers. They will perform a breathtaking sequence of acrobatic manoeuvres and handstands whilst strapped to the top wings of the team’s beautiful Boeing Stearman biplanes.

The team pilots will fly the aircraft through a well-rehearsed energetic routine of dazzling aerobatics and close formation flypasts as the wingwalkers wave at the crowd.

These manoeuvres include loops, rolls, stall turns and inverted flight. During this the wingwalkers will experience speeds of up to 150 mph and ‘G’ forces of up to 4 G.

At 3pm the Blades air display team will fly into the town. The Blades are among the World’s best aerobatic pilots, flying the ultimate in high-performance piston aircraft.

The Blades pilots are all former Red Arrows and they set up the UK’s only full-time civil formation team in 2005. One of the Blades first air displays was at the Beckham’s Full Length and Fabulous Ball. Their displays have been watched by 18 million people at over 150 venues.

Display highlights have included Her Majesty the Queen’s 80th birthday at Balmoral and the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I want to establish the Great Grand Pier Air Day as an annual event that people all over the country will look forward to and get the date firmly in their diaries early on in the year.

“I am delighted we have been able to secure such a varied and top quality display for our air day and I intend to build on it in future years”.

GRAND PIER WEDDING PARTY LIVE ON NATIONAL TV

The Grand Pier’s street party to celebrate the Royal Wedding on 29th April will be featured live on Daybreak and on ITV throughout the day. It will be the biggest street party in Weston-super-Mare.

Daybreak will be filming live from 7am on the covered South Deck of the Pier, while the first 100 party-goers who arrive before 7am in fancy dress enjoy a free traditional full-English wedding breakfast and watch the build up to the ceremony on outdoor screens, plus a giant screen inside the Pavilion building.

There will be live music, with bands playing all of the old favourites. The Grand Pier will also be running a Royal Wedding fancy dress competition with prizes throughout the day. The overall winner will receive a weekend for a family of four people in London, with trips to some of the Capital’s top attractions.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: ”We are kicking off our street party with a full English wedding breakfast, so if you want the chance to be on live TV and receive a free breakfast you will need to be in the first 100 people to get here before 7am – in fancy dress.

“We have the perfect setting on the Grand Pier for a giant street party, whatever the weather. We want people to come along and enter our fancy dress competition and enjoy the attractions, on what is really an extra day off for the whole country.
“Many of our older visitors will be able to remember the Queen’s Jubilee parties and the street parties to celebrate the marriage of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer, but some younger people will have never attended a street party before. We are determined to show them how it’s done”.

School children in North Somerset are also being invited to enter a ‘design a crown’ competition. Entrants are asked to bring along their crowns on the day, when a winner will be selected. The winner will receive a £50 Grand Pier ride voucher for themselves and a £150 ‘new equipment’ voucher for their school.

Party-goers who wish to pre-book their seat on the South Deck of the Grand Pier can do so by purchasing a £5 ride voucher. To pre-book your seat at the Grand Pier street party, please call our Events Team on 01934 646155.

A wide range of food and drink will be available to purchase, including the favourite British staple of fish and chips.


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Pier of the Year 2011

The Grand Pier has been chosen as the National Piers Society Pier of the Year 2011. This follows on from the NPS presenting Pier owners Kerry and Michelle Michael with an Outstanding Achievement Award last November.

The Grand Pier now becomes the first ever pier to win the NPS award twice, having been chosen by members back in 2001.

Kerry Michael said: “We are delighted to receive this prestigious award on behalf of everyone who has worked so hard in helping us rebuild this magnificent structure, which we hope will be enjoyed by future generations for many years to come”.



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Grand Pier Book Is Published

The Grand Pier has just published a pictorial book which charts the progress of the re-build, from the devastating fire of July 2008 to the opening day in October 2010.

The full-colour, 92 page book has an introduction by the Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael and it is dedicated to his mother, Mrs Nitsa Michael.

The book, which is titled ‘The Grand Pier – A 21st Century Icon’ contains some fascinating facts about the pier and the logistics the team faced, building such a large structure, a quarter of a mile out to sea.

Kerry Michael said: “We had regular photographs taken during the re-build of the Grand Pier as I wanted a documentary record of the re-building.

“When I looked though all the photographs after the opening day, I realised what a fantastic reminder they were of some of the high and low points we went through. I decided they told a fascinating story and were too important to be filed away on a computer disc somewhere, so the idea of the book was born”.

Copies of the book are available online at £8.99 each plus P+P. Click here to buy the Grand Pier Book.


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The Search Is On For a Grand Entertainer

The Grand Pier is on the lookout for a multi-skilled performer to keep people entertained throughout their visit.

The attraction, which is now open all year, is searching for an engaging all-rounder who can keep visitors in the holiday mood by modelling balloons, walking on stilts, juggling or doing magic tricks and the like. The role of Grand Pier entertainer will be a full time job, and the successful performer will be required throughout the year.

Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I am looking for an outstanding performer, similar to those who keep passengers entertained on cruise ships. There must be someone who is multi-skilled, has a big personality and would love to work in such an exciting environment as the Grand Pier”.

For further information on becoming the Grand Pier Entertainer contact the HR Manager Andrew Tregenza on 01934 620238.


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Formula 1 Season Comes To Weston-super-Mare

To coincide with the start of the Formula 1 season, Weston-super-Mare’s Grand Pier is launching its’ very own series of Grand Prix weekends.

During the nineteen race weekends of this year’s Formula 1 Season, everyone who tries the Pier’s Formula 1 simulators and everyone who rides on the Go Kart track will have their lap times recorded.

The person with the fastest lap time on the F1 Simulators and the person with the fastest lap time on the Go Karts, will both be declared winners of that particular weekend’s Grand Prix and will be presented with a £50 ride voucher.

The first race is the Australian Grand Prix this coming weekend and the final race is the Brazilian Grand Prix which takes place at the end of November.

As well as winning £100 worth of ride tickets each race weekend, at the end of the Formula 1 season all the winners, nineteen from the F1 Simulators and nineteen from the go karts, will be invited to a Grand Final showdown.

This will be a free event with the winner collecting an as yet to be disclosed, ‘Super Prize’ courtesy of the Grand Pier.

Grand Pier owner Kerry Michael said: “I am an avid Formula 1 fan myself and that’s why we have Formula 1 simulators and go karts on the Grand Pier. What better way of using them and our 300 metre long Go Kart track to create our very own Formula 1 season, here in Weston-super-Mare?
“I fully expect to have people turning up on each race weekend, trying to shave a valuable few tenths off their lap times”.

To find out more about the Grand Pier’s Formula 1 season visit this website or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.



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