Blackpool Civic Trust Awards for 2013
The award presentation ceremony was held on Thursday 27th February 2014 at the Blackpool Football Club Sponsors Lounge.
Joan Humble, Chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust, has praised the work of the winners of the Civic Trust’s Awards for 2013.
The Annual Awards Dinner, the highlight of Blackpool Civic Trust’s year and a showcase of best new build, excellent design and environmental work in the community, took place at Blackpool Football club.
Jimmy Armfield, one of the Trust’s Patrons, presented the awards.
Mrs Humble said: “The evening was a celebration of achievement involving a wide range of organisations and individuals, ranging from school children to architects and builders and local volunteers. My congratulations go to all of them.
Andy Mitchell announced the winners and Gerry Wolstenholme gave a talk about the Development of Blackpool Football Club.
The winners of the awards are:
BisphamEndowed Primary School won the Schools Environmental Shield,
Pietro Simone for Blackpool Nature Watch won the Blackpool Environmental Action Team Award,
Ian Clarkson of Blackpool Councils Property Services Department won the Blackpool Council Conservation Award,
The Friends of Highfield Park won the Community Award,
Trinity Hospice Gardens won the Open Spaces Award,
Michaels Indian Restaurant won the Best Night Time Economy Award,
The Cherry Tree Pub won the Best Refurbishment,
Best New Building was shared by Highfield Humanities College and Blackpool Gateway Academy.
Blackpool Tower and Blackpool Illuminations won the award for Transforming Blackpool.
We thank the event sponsors:
Blackpool Civic Trust 40th Anniversary Awards and Dinner for 2014
The Blackpool Civic Trust 40th Annual Awards Ceremony and Dinner was held on Friday 27th February 2015 at VIVA Blackpool. These awards are for excellence in building, design and work in the community during 2014.
A wonderful evening at Viva!
Joan Humble, Chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust, said; “This year’s awards presentation is even more special than usual because we are celebrating our 40th Anniversary. Blackpool Civic Trust was founded in February 1975. Two of those founder members are still involved with the Trust as our Vice-Presidents; Coun. David Owen and Mr Martin Gunson. I am very pleased that both could attend this 40th presentation of awards for excellence.
It is wonderful that one of our Patrons and local hero, Jimmy Armfield could give out the awards. We were also joined by Dr Freddie Gick, the Chair of Civic Voice, who spoke about the work of this national charity that supports civic trusts and societies throughout England. I hope to continue this 40th Anniversary year with more projects and events for our members to encourage civic pride in our community”.
photo: Best New Build – Bickerstaffe House
Also attending the event were the Mayor of Blackpool Councillor Val Haynes and Her Consort Mr Alan Haynes, Blackpool’s Members of Parliament Mr Gordon Marsden and Mr Paul Maynard. The Leader of Blackpool Council Mr Simon Blackburn, Blackpool Council Chief Executive Mr Neil Jack. The Chairman of Lytham St Annes Civic Society Mrs Marion Coupe, The Chairman of Fylde Decorative and Fine Arts Society Mrs Jo Darbyshire. Mr Andy Mitchell of Radio Wave was MC for the night and the presentations and citations were prepared by Mr Carl Carrington, Blackpool’s Built Heritage Manager.
The Mayor of Blackpool Councillor Val Haynes and Mr Martin Gunson:
Mrs Elaine Smith, President of Blackpool Civic Trust welcomed the guests and introduced Mrs Joan Humble, Chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust who gave the opening address. Mr Jimmy Armfield presented the awards Mr Andy Mitchell made the citations for each award.
We thank those who again sponsored the evening.
Cassidy & Ashton Architects of Preston & Chester
Blackpool Borough Council
Eclipse Developments UK Ltd
F.Parkinson Builders
The School Shield, Open Space and Community Awards were chosen by members of our Executive Committee, but the remaining awards were chosen by a panel of judges.
The judges: Alistair Bainesis a local architect and has been involved with the awards judging for some years now. Pippa Greenway is from Blackpool Council Planning office. Rhiannon Williamsis from Blackpool Sixth Form and Jordon Braithwaite is from Blackpool & the Fylde College. The buildings of today are the future heritage of our children & grandchildren and so we like to have young people on our panel. From the Blackpool Civic Trust committee, Canon Andrew Sage, the Civic Trust’s Planning Officer on the panel of judges.
The 2014 Awards and Winners are; SCHOOL ENVIRONMENTAL SHIELD, Moor Park Primary School for rebuilding their vandalised garden, revitalising the pond, introducing new homes for wildlife and growing fruit and vegetables.
The pupils were devastated when their garden was heavily vandalised at the beginning of 2014, but undaunted, they worked hard to repair damage and improve the gardens throughout 2014.
With the help of the local community and funding from Rock FM’s Cash For Kids, the children have revitalised the pond, introduced new homes for wildlife like bird boxes and even built a bug hotel! The Geo-dome, destroyed by vandals was replaced with a new one for growing tomatoes along with new raised vegetable beds and potato patch, all used to produce fruit and vegetables for sale at school fairs.
To top it all off, a new outdoor classroom was created so that children have the opportunity to learn outdoors in an environment they created themselves!
The pupils received the award.
BLACKPOOL ENVIRONMENTAL ACTION TEAM (BEAT), award was given to Mr. Paul Boynton for works to the Fylde Coast Arboretum.
When Paul was living on the Fylde coast he volunteered to participate in a number of projects for BEAT including the incredible work he did in stripping and cleaning the railings and gates to the Jewish cemetery in Layton, prior to repainting.
But Paul really showed his worth when taking the lead role in works undertaken at the Fylde Coast Arboretum. Supported initially by a group of volunteers, he excavated a number of trenches prior to installing a land drainage system aimed at alleviating the flooding problem on site following heavy rain.
Paul then moved away to the North East but returned last year to finish what he started by laying a pathway of brick block paving over the pipework and along the length of the original temporary gravel based paths. His dedication, even from the other side of the country is astounding and he’s played a key role in making the Arboretum a special place for those who use it to remember the casualties of conflict. The BEAT Board unanimously agreed that it would be fitting that Paul should receive this award for his past and ongoing dedication to Blackpool.
BLACKPOOL COUNCIL CONSERVATION AWARD, was given to Mr Aaron Whiteside for the glass and to Mr Rob Knighton of Eclipse for the joinery on the refurbishment of the front of Blackpool Tower.
This award recognises exceptional quality in craft skill or design and everyone will agree with our judges that the quality of this project has made a real difference to Blackpool Tower.
It was decided to reward both of the companies involved in the creation of the new doors because of the exceptional quality and the way in which close working has produced such an exceptional result.
Aaron was trained at Daedaelion Glass and served his apprenticeship working on incredible projects like restoration at Windsor Castle. Closer to home he worked on the restoration of the windows to the Town Hall’s Committee Room A and created new glass within the Winter Gardens and for shop fronts in and around St John’s Square.
Eclipse have developed a significant business in the restoration and re-creation of historic joinery. Responsible for many of the new shop fronts in St John’s Square as well as large sections of the interior restoration of Blackpool Winter Gardens they have established themselves as one of the leading joinery firms in the region.
COMMUNITY AWARD, was presented to the Friends of Watson Road Park for the work they did in supporting the archaeological dig at the park.
Watson Road Park seems an unlikely location for archaeology, but lying underneath this peaceful haven in south shore is one of our most important pieces of World War One heritage. The Loos and Arras Trenches were created to train troops in the creation of fighting trenches and during 1915 and later, in true Blackpool fashion, turned into a visitor attraction. Filled in after the war, it remained a little known secret until the summer of 2014.
It can’t be often that a community group gets an award for uncovering the past, but without them, this project would never have happened.They supported the funding bids to Ward Councillors, they worked with the local community to inform them of what was happening and they supported the community archaeologists is making it all happen. Hundreds of cups of tea, and hours of cleaning up and putting things right after the works were complete.
This is all the more remarkable because it created four huge holes in a park that this group works so hard to keep immaculate! Their dedication to the park and to its secret history is recognised by this award and we’d urge you to all go down and take a look at the exhibition in the pavilion and find out more about the history of Watson Road Park.
OPEN SPACES AWARD, went to the Friends of the Devonshire Road Rock Gardens for the work they had done in repairing and renovating the Vista building at the gardens.
This award recognises a small but dedicated Friends Group who have worked to restore one of the most romantic landscapes in Blackpool. Devonshire Road Rock Gardens was created in the 1930’s to provide a public park for new housing in the area and to take advantage of rolling views across to the Trough of Bowland. The real gem in the park though is The Vista, a small Italian style rustic pavilion with a terrace overlloking the hills to the east, below which pools and waterfalls follow the fall of the hill. This was used for thousands of wedding pictures from the 1930’s until the 1980’s.
The Vista had been subjected to vandalism for many years and had become a roofless ruin, partly overgrown until the Friends started to raise funds to restore it in 2012. By 2013 enough had been raised through events, generous contributions from Ward Funding and other sources, for work to begin.
A year later and the roofs are back on, vandal proof doors and windows have been installed, the terrace repaired and the friends now have a place out of the rain for storage and brewing up whilst looking at the incredible view! BEST NIGHT TIME ECONOMY, was given to the Beach House for the rebuilding, repair and renovation of the building after serious storm damage, to produce a new cocktail bar and stylish venue.
In an extreme case of your best asset ending up being your biggest nightmare, the Beach House Restaurant and Bar was severely affected by the storms that caused widespread damage and flooding at the beginning of 2014 . The windows and furniture were smashed and the years of hard work by the owners Hagup and Cheryl and their team were wiped away almost overnight.
Did they give up? No! The Beach House re-opened in a temporary restaurant, kindly provided by Blackpool Football Club, and started work clearing out and repairing the structure before getting to work creating a new interior
They used local contractors from the Fylde and focused on bringing an even more contemporary look to the restaurant complete with a feature light fitting in Ditchfield glass . The result has been striking, a slick new cocktail bar, new (and improved) menu and one of the mist stylish places to eat and drink on the Fylde Coast.To receive the best night time economy award, Hagop and Cheryl Tchobanian!
BEST REFURBISHMENT, went to Trinity Hospice for the high quality of its refurbishment in planning spaces and decoration, privacy, dignity and patient choice.
Trinity Hospice is no stranger to these awards, which says a lot about how we, as a community feel about how important their work is. Like everything the Hospice does, this refurbishment is of the highest quality. In planning spaces and decoration, privacy, dignity and patient choice were at the centre of decision making.
The range of calm interiors, vibrant interiors, private spaces, single or twin occupancy rooms and facilities for families staying over were all things that our judges thought outstanding. The Brian House Children’s Hospice has become a magical place with themed decor, pirates and sea life murals decorate the rooms along with a beautifully designed new kitchen, with play kitchen alongside.
This range of child and dementia friendly spaces, stimulating environments and calm rooms, some opening onto the award winning gardens will provide a step change in the quality of end of life and dementia care for our community and this award is well deserved!
To collect this award Simon Hellewell, Julie Huttley and Linzi Young
BEST NEW BUILD, was Bickerstaffe House for replacing derelict buildings with a well designed new structure and bringing together Council staff from a variety of scattered offices.
The new offices of Blackpool Council have been awarded best new build for a number of reasons. Firstly, they sit at the heart of Talbot Gateway which truly has changed the feel of the arrival into Blackpool by train. Gone are the semi derelict buildings surrounding Blackpool North to be replaced by a series of light, bright contemporary buildings to welcome people to Blackpool.
Secondly, it’s design, intended on the north and west side to resemble pier like structures, breaks up the sleeker, smoother facades of the buildings either side and forms part of the new Bickerstaffe Square with attractive seating and lighting.
Thirdly is the way in which this building has brought together people working at a number of sites across the borough into one place, reducing the Council’s carbon footprint, and establishing new ways of flexible working to help save money and jobs. The building is a welcome addition to the creation of a new contemporary offer in Blackpool and we hope to see more of it with Phase II of this excellent development! Councillor Simon Blackburn, Leader of Blackpool Council and Mr. Andy Barton of Muse Developments collected the prize.
TRANSFORMING BLACKPOOL, went to Phase One of the Talbot Gateway for creating a new group of high quality buildings including Bickerstaffe House, the Sainsbury Super Store and the refurbished art deco Talbot Road Car Park.
We’ve already seen Bickerstaffe House pick up an award this evening so it seems only fair that the rest of this excellent development should be recognised. Phase One of the Talbot Gateway development was made up of the creation of the fantastic new Sainsbury super store, the new Blackpool Council headquarters at Bickerstaffe House and the remarkable refurbishment of the Art Deco Talbot Road Car Park.
In many ways it’s hard to imagine that the old car park is somewhere under the illuminated glass cladding but somehow it is! The designers managed to preserve the important layout of what is believed to be the first public multi storey car park in Britain and gave it a bright and contemporary feel.
Sainsbury’s is another landmark building with it ship like curving prow and Blackpool feature art inside. In addition, it brings much needed parking and shopping facilities to the Town Centre and plays a huge part in making arrival into Blackpool by rail a much more attractive option. Phase two is in the pipeline so watch this space!
Cllr. Mr. Simon Blackburn, Leader of Blackpool Council, Mr. Andy Barton of Muse Developments and the Super Staff of Blackpool’s new Sainsbury Superstore collected the prize.
SPECIAL AWARD, was given to F Parkinson for restoring the lost terracotta on the front of the Tower and installing seven sets of beautiful hard wood doors.
We’ve already seen the skill of those involved in the detail of the work at Blackpool Tower and now it’s time to recognise the vision and organisation behind those works. Since purchasing Blackpool Tower and Blackpool Winter Gardens in 2010, Blackpool Council has demonstrated its commitment to the future of these buildings time and time again, through high quality, sensitive changes that create new visitor offers whilst preserving the historic significance of the buildings.
As many of you will know, in the 1970’s a new canopy was added to the front of the Tower but in order to fit it better, much of the decorative terracotta casting was hacked off the face of the building. This project has not only restored that lost terracotta but has re-created the sense of arrival with the installation of seven sets of beautiful hardwood doors with all of the original stained glass restored or re-created. The choice of F Parkinson Ltd to plan and execute the works is a testament to how important they’ve become to projects like this in Blackpool. A local firm with a local work force and an excellent track record of heritage projects including extensive work at the Winter Gardens, they really have excelled themselves on this project.
Mr Ray Eyre of F Parkinson Ltd and Cllr. Simon Blackburn, Leader of Blackpool Council!
BEST NEW QUALITY VISITOR ATTRACTION, this new award was given to Illuminasia for its incredible light show.
Illuminasia’s transformation of the Olympia Exhibition Hall has been spectacular. One of Blackpool Council’s ambitions on buying the Winter Gardens in 2010 was to introduce a year round family attraction. It took a while, but in April 2014, just in time for the Easter season, Illuminasia opened its doors!
An incredible light show based on the ancient Chinese art of lantern making, the light steel frames are them covered in silk to add colour and form to the installations.
There are a range of zones based on different themes and many of the installations are of exceptional size and quality, having your photo taken between the teeth of a shark has to be one of the highlights. This award recognises both the local dimension of Illuminasia and the way in which it’s re-connected Blackpool to the international leisure market.
To receive this award, Mr. Gary Fjelstad of International Special Attractions.
Two former Mayors of Blackpool:
Members of Blackpool Civic Trust:
Blackpool Civic Trust Awards and Dinner 2015
Held Friday 26th February 2016
The Blackpool Civic Trust Awards Ceremony and Dinner was held on Friday 26th February 2016 at the Paradise Room, Blackpool Pleasure Beach. These awards are for excellence in building, design and work in the community during 2015, which was also the 40th anniversary of Blackpool Civic Trust.
Sponsors for the event:
Blackpool Borough Council
Cassidy & Ashton Architects of Preston & Chester
The Imperial Hotel
No 1 Hotel
Burbage Holiday Group
Glasdon
Sophisticated Events
A wonderful evening at the Paradise Room, Blackpool Pleasure Beach!
Hosts for the evening: Jimmy Armfield, Joan Humble, Andy Mitchell.
To open the award presentations Elaine Smith MBE and President of Blackpool Civic Trust introduced Joan Humble the Chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust. Photo of Elaine.
Joan Humble announced the attendance of the Mayor of Blackpool, Councillor Peter Callow and the Mayoress, Councillor Mrs Maxine Callow. Also Mr Gordon Marsden, Member of Parliament for Blackpool South and leader of the Council, Councillor Simon Blackburn and the Blackpool Chief Executive, Mr Neil Jack. Photo of Joan.
Joan said the first official meeting of Blackpool Civic Trust was held in February 1975 at Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Sir Harold Grime, the distinguished editor of the Gazette agreed to become the President and Geoffrey Thompson, the Managing Director of the Pleasure Beach, became the first Chairman.
Two of our current Vice-Presidents were involved in the Civic Trust from that very first meeting. Cllr David Owen was the first Secretary and Mr Martin Gunson who started as Press Officer, became Vice-Chairman and then Chairman. Thanks for your continuing support over what is now 41 years.
Photo: Mr Martin Gunson and Dr Freddie Gick.
Guests also included the Chairman of Lytham St Annes Civic Society, Mrs Marion Coupe. Corporate Members of Blackpool Civic Trust. Our special guest Dr Freddie Gick, the Chair of Civic Voice. Freddie presented to Blackpool Civic Trust, at the Convention and AGM of Civic Voice, a special achievement award for all the work that we do during Civic Week in June. That will challenge us to do even better this year.
Thanks to Carl Carrington, Blackpools Built Heritage Manager, for all the support he has given the Civic Trust throughout the year.
Very good friend and member of the Trust, the News Editor at Radio Wave, Mr Andy Mitchell who again agreed to be MC for the evening.
Amanda Thompson, one of our patrons, cannot attend and is represented by the Pleasure Beach Director of Finance Mr Nigel Kilgallon. Our other patron is our good friend and Freeman of the Borough, the one and only, Mr Jimmy Armfield CBE. I am pleased that he and his wife, Mrs Anne Armfied, are here with us again this evening; a great big welcome to them both.
The Junior Schools Environmental Shield: St Nicholas Church of England Primary School
The School has built a project around the history and traditions of the Moss market gardening heritage.
In days gone by the school taught market gardening to its pupils and the pupils of today are taught how to look after chickens and sell the eggs as a business as well as how to grow produce such as tomatoes and strawberries which the Moss has always been famous for!?
But thats not all, the children also grow a wide range of other fruits like blackcurrants, raspberries and blueberries alongside chilies and garlic, potatoes, courgettes, peas and various herbs.
The Senior Schools Environmental Shield: Park Community Academy
The environmental project at Park Community Academy has been running for eight successful years and has achieved the prestigious “Green Flag” ECO school award every year since it started.
Staff and Pupils have been committed to ensuring their school environment is energy efficient and environmentally friendly and the ECO curriculum affects every aspect of school life. Activities include recycling rubbish throughout the school day, re-using materials in creative activities as well as reducing waste through the use of wormeries in the school grounds.
The BLACKPOOL COUNCIL CONSERVATION AWARD: Blackpool Civic Trust
This award is given for excellence in conservation or high quality building restoration work and was presented by Cllr Simon Blackburn, Leader of Blackpool Council.
When the Imperial Hotel first opened, it gained fame as the Imperial Hydropathic Hotel. It featured up to ten bathing areas, including Turkish and Russian Baths and sea water plunge pools.
The Turkish baths were probably built in the last decade of the 19th Century. Victorian Turkish Baths used hot air not steam and those in the Imperial are located in the basement of the South Wing. They were decorated with glazed tiles made by the famous Burmantofts Pottery of Leeds.
After the Second World War the Turkish baths were closed and the tiles covered in thick plaster. The area was used for storage and the baths forgotten until almost two years ago, when Blackpool Civic Trust was contacted by the General Manager, Alison Gilmore, to see if the trust could identify volunteers to explore the basement and see what lay under the plaster.
At first working with Andrew Gladwell, but for the last several months independently as contractors, a regular group of volunteers has uncovered the wonders of tile work from more than a hundred years ago.
Civic Trust volunteers have researched the baths and developed skills in carefully removing the plaster and paint to reveal the beautiful tiles. Some of the tiles were deliberately damaged, others accidently damaged but most are in very good condition.
The COMMUNITY AWARD – Joint Winners: The Friends of Watson Road Park
This can go to any kind of community or voluntary group and it recognises groups or individuals making a difference in their community. The choice was so difficult that this year we have two winners.
Friends of Watson Road Park and representatives of Blackpool Coastal Housing
This is not the first time that the Friends of Watson Road Park have received an award from Blackpool Civic Trust. Last year we applauded the efforts that they put in to support the archaeological volunteers on the WW 1 training trenches uncovered in the park.
This year we recognise all the many other activities they engage in. The Friends open the Pavilion Cafe every day and when the community centre was extended, they approached Blackpool Coastal Housing to give them a grant to improve the pathway to the memorial garden and tarmac the entrance area to the park pavilion. This successful grant application substantially improved disabled access.
The Friends also put on a range of popular events from dog shows to the Summer Gala and a regular programme of childrens parties and coffee mornings to raise funds for their mission to maintain the park as a superb community facility. Other groups are always welcome to use the facilities, including South Shore Youth Football and the Blackpool and Fylde Rail Users Association amongst many others.
The COMMUNITY AWARD – Joint Winners: Ibbison Court Centre
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The Ibbison Court community group has been together for five years and has a clear aim to encourage community engagement in this area of Blackpool. They are determined to make a difference to their community by improving the lives of the people that live within the area. They do this by listening to the community, working with their ward Councillors and then putting on a wide variety of activities, encouraging people to come through their door but also going out into the community.
They now have a play area, community garden, Memory Lane cafe, and Bingo club. Arts activities are key to encouraging engagement. There is new group, the Hand Made Uns, and another which is described as the Graffiti Grans. These Graffiti Grans have been at work in the Palatine Car Park and on May 21st will be in the Grand Theatre.
Police and Community Together meetings are held in the centre and the community group also organizes larger scale events such as the Revoe Fun Day and the Revoe Christmas Lights stitch on.
But perhaps they are most famous for the Revo-lution choir which was set up three years ago. The Choir now regularly appears at community events throughout Blackpool.
The OPEN SPACES AWARD: The High Ropes Course at Stanley Park
This award is aimed at recognising achievements in creating attractive public spaces either landscaped or hardscaped.
Councillor Graham Cain and Mr John Blackledge collected the award
Stanley Park High Ropes Course opened in May 2015, providing a fantastic facility for both local residents and visitors to the Town.
The high Ropes Course is suitable for anyone 5 years and over and operates two levels. The ‘low ropes’ course sits 4 meters off the ground and the ‘high ropes’ course is eight meters high providing fantastic views across Stanley Park, Blackpool and further afield. Both courses provide a range of activities and challenges for participants to cross including swinging tyres, zip wire onto a cargo net, plank bridges, wobbly logs and lots more. The three story tower also features a zip line, rock climbing wall and a range of developmental activities including crate stack challenge, gladiator challenge, leap of faith and all aboard.
The course was designed to complement the Grade 2 listed park, using natural timbers for the course itself as well as the booking office. The site itself re-uses part of the site once occupied by the former greenhouses and demonstrates an excellent example of brownfield development.
The School Shields, Open Space and Community Awards were chosen by members of our Executive Committee, but the next 4 awards were chosen by a panel of judges who are:
Alistair Baines is a local architect and has been involved with the awards judging for some years now. Pippa Greenway is from Blackpool Councils Planning office. Aaron Spendley is from Blackpool Sixth Form College and Roxanne Bryan is from Blackpool & the Fylde College. The buildings of today are the future heritage of our children & grandchildren and so we think its essential to have young people on our panel. Canon Andrew Sage, the Civic Trusts Planning Officer.
Best Night Time Economy: The Velvet Coaster
The large steel beams over the vast roof terrace draw attention to this new development on the promenade in the South of Blackpool. On entering the pub through the glass fronted entrance, customers are greeted by a towering lift shaft which acts as a means of access to all 3 floors.
The ground floor is a real show case of features inspired by the surrounding area. The bar area is a tribute to the beach and sea and the first floor bar area has feature rope lighting which mixes marine and industrial themes.
The second floor bar area is a blend of contemporary finishes continuing the seaside theme. The roof terrace is a real feature of the design where customers can enjoy the sights and sounds of Blackpool in comfort.
The use of themes that have a local resonance as well as a more general seaside feel are what recommended this building to the judges. The overall design is clean and modern with an art deco feel that reflects the heritage of the nearby Pleasure Beach working well in its surroundings.
This new venue is enormously popular and attracts customers throughout the day as well as at night and the family friendly nature of Wetherspoons makes it an ideal place to stop and relax after a visit to Blackpools promenade and attractions during the day.
Best Refurbishment Award: The Winter Gardens Theatre Bar
Collecting the award are Gregor Mazurek and Anna Psonak from the Blackpool Entertainment Company Ltd and Rob Knighton from Eclipse Developments.
The Theatre Bar, formerly known as Bar Red, had been closed for five years as part of the extensive refurbishment work taking place to the Winter Gardens complex. The restaurant originally formed the main entrance through Italian gardens to the Empress Ballroom when it was opened in 1896. Since then, it has been a car showroom for Brown and Mallalieu and more recently many of you will remember it as Vernon Humpages.
During the work, the remarkable Art Nouveau painted ceramic panels by artist J Neatby working for Royal Doulton were uncovered.? These panels represent a series of women in exotic costume, representing birds and precious stones and are surrounded by exceptional quality ceramic tiles in peacock blue, many of which were badly damaged.
To ensure these beautiful works of art could go on show without risking further damage to the surrounding panels, the walls were carefully covered again, leaving the female figures displayed in recessed and lit arches and now form the most impressive feature of the restaurants interior, which also includes a spectacular black and white image across the back wall of the same space as a car showroom full of Morris Cars!
The bar now opens regularly serving a wide range of drinks and also a 40 cover restaurant serving gourmet burgers from a theatre inspired menu.
Best New Build: Blackpool and the Fylde College Advanced Technology Centre
The Advanced Technology Centre is a two storey new build further education facility for the School of Engineering at Blackpool and The Fylde Colleges principal campus at Bispham. The building includes space for teaching automotive engineering, research and development and advanced manufacturing applications including robotics, pneumatics and hydraulics.
The building was created as an inspiring environment for the delivery of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics skills to meet local and regional needs and definitely looks the part.
The design of the building is focused around the concept of strong geometrical elevations with a curved roof and front which draw you towards the focal entrance.?The landscaping fits with the same design principles using sweeping curves and sharp edges to echo the building it surrounds.
The Advanced Technology Centre is itself a triumph of modern sustainable technology, most notably in its use of high quality materials in construction and its renewable energy features which have achieved the BREEAM Excellent standard in reducing energy consumption. The building, in effect, does what it says on the tin!
Best Shop Front Award: Amaro
Amaro is a new Italian restaurant located on St Johns Square in Blackpool town centre. The restaurant occupies a former clothing retail unit on the corner of Church Street and Leopold Grove.
The building is within the Town Centre Conservation Area and part of the setting of the Grade II* Winter Gardens and so particular regard had to be paid to the restaurant street frontage.
Working closely with local joiners and metal workers, Joseph Boniface Architects designed a simple yet effective shop front which works well within the conservation area and provides an attractive and practical frontage for the restaurant.
The use of traditional window shapes in contemporary aluminium frames has allowed the architect to use traditional form but to add a contemporary feel to the restaurant.
Special Award: Blackpool Transport Services for the Heritage Tram Fleet
Collecting the Award are Cllr Christine Wright, Chair of Blackpool Transport Services and Mr Bryan Lindop Head of Heritage representing the Heritage Tram Tours Team.
Building on a proud history of 130 years of continuous electric tramway operation, Blackpool Heritage Tram Tours prides itself on its commitment to deliver a high quality, world class Heritage Attraction that Blackpool can be proud of.
Its customers are at the very heart of everything that Blackpool Transport Services does and its staff is dedicated to delivering a family friendly experience that is both affordable and good value for money.
Visitor numbers have been boosted by tram enthusiasts from all over the world and on the key operating dates the heritage trams are often filled to capacity.
Throughout the season very positive feedback has been given by passengers to the service. To this can be added a very successful Illuminations period with record attendances on the lights tours.
Management and staff on the Heritage Tram Fleet can look back on the 2015 season with pride whilst feeling confident that they are going to deliver something even better next year!
Best New Quality Visitor Attraction: Red Arrows Skyforce Ride at the Pleasure Beach
Mr Nigel Kilgallon accepted the award on behalf of the Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
It seems appropriate doesnt it that were giving another award to the Pleasure Beach in this 40th anniversary year given the long connection with the Civic Trust and the Thompson family!
Blackpool Pleasure Beach reached for the skies with a brand new ride for 2015, Red Arrows Skyforce.
The amusement park joined forces with the world famous Royal Air Force Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows, and became the worlds first tourist attraction to have a ride based on the planets best known aerobatic display team.
The 72ft high, 12 seat white-knuckle ride takes you on a 360 degree tour of the skies and sits in the shadow of the world famous Big One rollercoaster. Stepping into your own Red Arrows cockpit, you take control of the plane and spin and glide and take formation in your very own display.
The Red Arrows have enjoyed a long association with Blackpool and the Pleasure Beach during the teams history. Its a great testament to this connection that the north west of England will get to enjoy and play host to a permanent Red Arrows experience.
Thanks were given to:
The sponsors named above.
Andy Mitchell for reading out the citations, Carl Carrington for his ongoing support and Jimmy Armfield for giving out the awards. Three gifts were presented to say thank you properly.
Flowers were presented to the Mayoress by Christine Lambe of Blackpool Civic Trust.
Thanks to members of our committee whose skill is to be seen all around us in the form of the decorations, printed menus, and raffle prizes.
Thanks are also given to Peter Owen for the photographs of the event.
The Mayor and Mayoress with Joan Humble and Barry Shaw.
Jimmy Armfield, Joan, Andy Mitchell.
Canon Sage of St Stephens on the Cliff’s guests.
Blackpool Civic Trust Awards and Dinner 2016
Friday 28th April 2017
A wonderful evening at the Washington Suite in the Imperial Hotel, Blackpool!
On Friday 28th April 2017, Blackpool Civic Trust held its Annual Awards and Dinner in the Washington Suite of the Imperial Hotel. In front of over 160 guests, including the Mayor and Mayoress of Blackpool, Blackpool Civic Trust gave out awards to schools, community groups and local businesses who had contributed to supporting Blackpool in 2016.
Chair of Blackpool Civic Trust, Joan Humble, commented:?The evening was a very enjoyable way to celebrate individual and group achievement in Blackpool. I am pleased that the Mayor and Mayoress, Councillor Kath Rowson and Ms Joan Goldin could join us, together with both Blackpool MPs, Gordon Marsden and Paul Maynard. The 2016 Awards especially highlight the good work of community groups and also businesses in Blackpool which are supporting our local economy. I am pleased that this year?s ceremony took place at the Imperial Hotel which is itself celebrating its 150th anniversary. We all enjoyed a very successful event.?
The winners in each category are:-
Junior School Environmental Shield: Hawes Side Academy
Senior School Environmental Shield: Highfurlong School
Blackpool Council Conservation Award: Jubb and Jubb Ltd for their detailed survey work on the Winter Gardens.
Community Award: The Friends of the Illuminations
Best Open Spaces: 1 Jubilee Gardens (Gynn)
Best Open Spaces: 2 Aspire Academy, Memorial Garden
Best Refurbishment: The Grand Theatre
Transforming Blackpool: Harry Ramsden at Blackpool Tower
Special Award: 1 Glasdon?s Works Canteen
Special Award: 2 Carers Centre
Sponsors for the event:
Blackpool Council
Cassidy & Ashton Architects of Preston & Chester
The Imperial Hotel
Burbage Holiday Group
Hosts for the evening: Andy Mitchell of Radio Wave, The Mayor of Blackpool, Kath Rowson and the Chairman of Blackpool Civic Trust, Joan Humble.
Joan presents Andy with flowers
Apologies and Special Mentions
Apologies were received from our Patrons Jimmy Armfield and Amanda Thompson, and President, Elaine Smith and Vice President Martin Gunson.
Thanks were give to Carl Carrington, Blackpool?s Built Heritage Manager, and his colleague, Jan Cresswell for the support they have given throughout the year.
Our very good friend and member of the Trust, the News Editor at Radio Wave, Mr Andy Mitchell once again agreed to be MC for the evening.
Amanda Thompson was represented by the Pleasure Beach Director of Finance Mr Nigel Kilgallon.
The Mayor of Blackpool, Kath Rowson, presented the awards.
The Awards
The Awards were announced by Andy Mitchell and presented by the Mayor, Kath Rowson to:
The Junior Schools Environmental Shield which this year goes to Hawes Side Academy
Andy Mitchell described their achievement.? It?s been a busy year for Hawes Side Academy which has now moved into new premises. ?In January 2016 Hawes Side Academy became an expert centre for the Global Learning Programme and created a network of 23 local schools, working on issues of global concern, including sustainability.
The school is also involved in the Local Wildlife Trust and in June 2016, 20 children from Year 6 undertook a 3 day residential course at Castle Head Field Study Centre in Cumbria.These children explored and discovered the contrasting environments within Castlefield, learning how to work as a team on specific project activities. They then worked with the Wildlife Trust on the dunes in St Annes to dig out a sand slack, creating new habitats for other species and helping to conserve the environment.
The final part of this project was to share their knowledge. They presented their work in front of an audience of 180 children and they were nationally recognised with the presentation of the John Muir Award. All children in years 3-5 are now involved in this project; a total of 270.
The school?s Green Council also leads on other initiatives such as Switch Off Fortnight where children undertook an audit of energy use across the school, and their work will continue into 2017 with a new project funded by Urban Organic Community Gardens to transform the school grounds.
The Senior Schools Environmental Shield to Highfurlong School
Andy Mitchell described their achievement. Many of the pupils at Highfurlong School spend a great deal of time indoors due to the challenges they face with their health and physical disabilities and when Highfurlong School moved into their new buildings in 2015, the outside area was completely empty. ?
There was nowhere for children and young people to play, or take part in outdoor learning. ?The school was determined to change this and began to raise funds to develop the outside area.The Big Lottery funded a giant poly tunnel which will be used to develop the schools Enterprise Projects. The pupils will grow plants in planters, tubs and hanging baskets and then sell them as part of the Potty Pots Enterprise Business. The children will also grow salad in the Poly tunnel to be used in their food technology lessons.Another project popular with the pupils is the Bug Hotel.? Watching the creepy crawlies helps students investigate nature and wildlife and watch and learn about the life cycles of insects and the role they play in looking after the environment.
The last part of the school?s environmental work involves the outdoor area. Funding for this development was provided by the Vera Wolstencroft Charity and the Wooden Spoon.
This marvelous addition includes a wheelchair roundabout, wheelchair swing, wheelchair activity trail and other attractions for a range of physical abilities. The ground has been covered in soft play turf and means that all children are able to come out of their chairs. It is brightly coloured and loads of fun and the children, understandably all love it!
Sponsored by Blackpool Council is The BLACKPOOL COUNCIL CONSERVATION AWARD given for excellence in conservation or high quality building restoration work.
The winner is, Jubb and Jubb Ltd
Survey work isn?t exactly the most glamorous side of Conservation, but it is a vital part of understanding and caring for historic buildings.
The archive of the Tower Company, held in Empress Buildings, is huge repository of information; programmes objects, business records, advertising and architectural drawings.? What the Council didn?t have however was an accurate set of drawings of the entire complex.?If there was a dark hole full of spiders ? or worse ? they spent time in it over the year working to meticulously record and assess the condition of the building.?But they didn?t do it alone. Working their magic with state of the art digital survey equipment were Bury Associates and assisting with the arcane mysteries of engineering stuff was John Avent. ?
The finished product is astounding, over a terabyte of digital information, hundreds of data sheets and thousands of photographs.? We now know more about the building and its condition than ever before, and that information has saved us time and money when looking at new projects.This project demonstrates what can be done when you can assemble the right team, with the right skills and a challenge of gigantic proportions.? It isn?t glamourous, but we?re glad they do it!
Lynda Jubb and Richard Clews of Jubb and Jubb and their team collected the award.
The Civic Trust?s COMMUNITY AWARD for any kind of community or voluntary group and it recognises groups or individuals making a difference in their community.?
The 2016 winner is, The Friends of the Illuminations
The Friends of the Illuminations were formed in 2010 with a mission to raise funds to help keep the lights shining. ?The group was welcomed with open arms by the Illuminations team, who saw the opportunity to open its doors to the community and create a greater sense of ownership by the public.
The Friends are a collection of individuals, some with businesses who all saw the importance of the attraction to local business and the tourism and cultural offer of the town.To do this, they?ve enlisted showbiz stars and celebrities; held a regular Banquet, Ball and switch off parties. One of their most successful money raisers has been the ?Buy a Lamp? campaign, where people could buy a lamp with their name on that would then be used in the display.? To date the Friends have raised an amazing sum of over ?100,000 for the display.This is a fabulous group of people who?ve given so much of their own time to this fantastic cause.? The financial and moral support they offer the Illuminations department is tremendous and we remain forever in their debt.?Shirley Hunt and members of the Friend?s collected the Award.
The OPEN SPACES AWARD.? This award is aimed at recognising achievements in creating attractive public spaces either landscaped or hardscaped.? The choice this year was so difficult that we have decided to give awards to two very different projects.
Joint Open Spaces Award 2016 is to the Jubilee Gardens
Originally constructed in 1914 as part of the exclusive new promenade and then redesigned in 1928, Jubilee Gardens, is situated in a very prominent position on Blackpool?s North Shore Promenade close to Gynn Square.
The Friends of Jubilee Gardens (Gynn) was formed in May 2016, when local community members came together to volunteer their time on this neglected, tired and forgotten gem of a garden. The volunteers meet twice a week to work on weeding the gardens, clearing the paths and steps, painting benches, planting flower beds, pruning, propagating, fundraising and keeping the gardens tidy and litter free.
Working in partnership with local and national groups, they have created an attractive area for the community and our visitors. The revitalised gardens have seen a decrease in anti-social behavior, drinking and drug abuse while increasing respect, community ownership and pride from its users.Their most recent projects have been the reinstatement of the once broken waterfall, enhancing the Blue Light Memorial area, securing funding for plants from Tesco?s Bags of Help Scheme and the ongoing excavation of the original 1928 Rockery.
The Friends of Jubilee Gardens collected their award.
Joint Open Spaces Award 2016 is the Memorial Garden at Aspire Academy.
A meeting of the Trustees of the Blackpool Grammar School Old Boys Memorial Fund in September 2015 took the decision to close the fund within two years because of the age of the Trustees, and the opinion that the Trust had achieved its objectives.
After sharing out their remaining funds amongst some very good causes, there was still sufficient money to support one final legacy.The memory of Superintendent Gerry Richardson had hitherto been just a small brass plate. The Trustees decided to fund the creation of a memorial garden to Gerry, at the front of the Aspire Academy. This garden was to incorporate the previous foundation stones of Collegiate Grammar School for Girls and the coat of arms from the former Collegiate High School along with the plaque already commemorating Gerry. ??This memorial garden will be for future use by Aspire students for events of celebration, or remembrance, and a focal assembly point for the whole school.On 23rd August 2016 an impressive dedication ceremony took place on the 45th anniversary of Gerry?s death, attended by two Chief Constables, many civic dignitaries and an invited guest list of 100.This is now the site to commemorate and celebrate three former schools, all of which have left an important legacy for Blackpool as well as a place to reflect on the bravery of one Old Boy of the school.
The School Shields, Open Space and Community Awards were chosen by members of our Executive Committee, but the next award was chosen by a panel of judges.
The judges are:
Alistair Baines is a local architect and has been involved with the awards judging for some years now.
Clare Johnson is from Blackpool Council?s Planning Department.
Josh Connolly is from Blackpool Sixth Form College and Tim Shane is from Blackpool & the Fylde College.
The buildings of today are the future heritage of our children & grandchildren and so we think it?s essential to have young people on our panel.
Canon Andrew Sage, Blackpool Civic Trust?s Planning Officer.
The Award for Best Refurbishment goes to: The Grand Theatre.
Then the team set about raising funds to develop these buildings with the aim of improving access for audience members in wheelchairs and those with restricted movement and creating a better working environment for staff at the Theatre.
As part of this, a series of new dressing rooms and meeting spaces were created in the under utilised upper floors of the shops along with a brand new multi-purpose room that can be used for rehearsals, meetings and events.
As part of the project, the original dress circle bar has been restored ?to its original size and configuration, allowing many more of us to reach the bar at intervals for a welcome drink!
Needless to say, since this complex work was finished the Grand Theatre has had a very positive feedback from its audiences, funders, visitors, staff and Trustees.
Representatives of the Grand Theatre, Cassidy and Ashton Architects, F Parkinson as contractor and Mr Shaun Ward of Blackpool Council who was project manager for this scheme collected the Award.
Last year we received no nominations for other building categories. As you will have seen, we have celebrated many achievements in the community. The work on the Grand Theatre also benefited the community. We believe there are other interesting and exciting developments in Blackpool that also merit their own awards.
The Blackpool Civic Trust Committee, in consultation with our judging panel has decided to make three more awards. The first one is:
Award for Transforming Blackpool winner is Harry Ramsden at Blackpool Tower
Combine Victorian grandeur with the fun and flamboyance of Blackpool to create the next generation of a well-loved traditional restaurant. That was the challenge for Manchester based design consultancy, CDS Wilman.
The brief was to create a new flagship location for a 21st century Harry Ramsden restaurant within the iconic Grade 1 listed Blackpool Tower.The design team was initially tasked with providing a scheme to upgrade the old Tower Lounge space to house a 250 seat restaurant and a 60-seat quick-service takeaway outlet.The overall concept aimed to capture the spirit and energy that makes Blackpool a truly unique destination; establishing this feeling as an intrinsic part of the restaurant experience was central to the design process.It was crucial that the design responded to the various challenges presented by the architecture and heritage of the world famous Tower.This included entrances from the street on three different sides, a mix of low ceilings and double height spaces ? and , most importantly, ensuring that the design worked with the running of all the other public attractions within the Tower.The scheme continued the fantastic quality of the restoration to the promenade frontage, restoring and replicating the beautiful cloud panels above the promenade doors and incorporating other art deco features within a scheme that is both contemporary and reflects changes to the Tower in the 1930?s.
Following the theme of supporting the community, and in this next example, improving the work place for staff, we give a Special Award to the project to create a new staff canteen at Glasdon?s.
Glasdon UK Ltd is a long established local company with around 200 employees at its Preston New Road site. Clearly, being a previous award winner has got them thinking about new ways to win awards!We all know that keeping staff happy is an important part of any business, and with this in mind, the bosses at Glasdon turned their attention to the works canteen. The previous canteen was dated, small and not very well used.The Company took the decision to make a significant investment in refurbishing and extending the canteen into a neighbouring office.
This was intended to provide more space and better facilities in which employees could relax and visitors could be entertained.? This has improved staff morale, provided better working conditions and created a hub for members of staff and visitors to relax and socialize during the working day.
The architects worked within the constraints of the existing space yet created a unique design transforming the interior space beyond recognition. The combination of feature curved timber ceilings and coffered areas allowed interest whilst still affording plenty of height within the space.
Floor finishes were chosen to harmonize with the ceiling appearance and flexible, bright and attractive furniture selected to modernize the area to bring colour and vibrancy into the space.Representatives from Glasdons, Cassidy and Ashton architects, and Fylde Joinery and Building Services collected the Award.
The Special Award is given to the Carers Centre at Beaverbrooks House
Blackpool Carers Centre was launched in 2005 at a Blackpool Tower fundraising event, attended by The Princess Royal. Its purpose is ?A Better Life for Carers?.The service has grown and developed in line with local need. In Blackpool it now supports over 4,000 family carers from the age of 5 years up.In 2014 they began searching for a new building as they had outgrown their existing premises. In 2015 the Beaverbrooks Charitable Trust purchased the beautiful Blenheim House building specifically to house the Blackpool Carers Centre.The building had sadly been wrecked by metal thieves and the next challenge facing the team was the prospect of renovation. On April 8th 2016, a phone call from Children in Need confirmed that their project had been selected from applications from across the country to be part of the DIY SOS Big Build special. They were overjoyed. The generosity of over 300 volunteers and donors was overwhelming.Laurence Llewelyn Bowen?s inspirational design flair and Laurence Mitchell?s garden ensured that the newly named, Beaverbrooks House would be a flagship Carer?s Centre – something that Blackpool can be proud of.A year on from the Big Build, the carers, staff and volunteers are settling in and making themselves comfortable. Not too comfortable though because they?re preparing for their next project; the renovation of the annex to provide fantastic respite accommodation!
Joan Humble thanked Andy for reading out the citations, Carl Carrington for his ongoing support and the Worshipful the Mayor of Blackpool for giving out the awards. ?Presentations were given to Andy, Carl and Jan to say thank you properly. There were also flowers for the Mayor.?
Thanks to members of our committee whose skill is to be seen all around us in the form of the decorations, printed menus, and raffle prizes.
Andy Mitcell, Joan Humble, Kath Rowson, Carl Carrington:
Joan Humble, Jan Cresswell:
Simon Blackburn, David Owen, Andy Mitchell:
For the full set of photos please see our Flickr Album, click here to go to Flickr
Blackpool Civic Trust Awards and Dinner 2017
Friday 27th April 2018
A wonderful evening at VIVA Blackpool!
On Friday 27th April 2018, Blackpool Civic Trust held its Annual Awards and Dinner at VIVA. In front of over 200 guests, including the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress of Blackpool, Blackpool Civic Trust gave out awards to a school, community groups and local businesses who had contributed to supporting and improving Blackpool in 2017.
Chair of Blackpool Civic Trust, Joan Humble, commented:
‘The evening was a very enjoyable way to celebrate individual and group achievement in Blackpool. I am pleased that the Deputy Mayor and Deputy Mayoress, Councillor Gary Coleman and Councillor Debbie Coleman, could join us, together with Blackpool MP, Gordon Marsden. The 2017 Awards highlight the good work of a variety of community groups and also businesses in Blackpool which are supporting our local economy’.
The winners in each category are:-
Junior School Environmental Shield: Park Community Academy
Senior School Environmental Shield: Park Community Academy
Blackpool Council Conservation Award:
Blackpool Council Property Services Department and Paul Humble of Blackpool Civic Trust,
and F Parkinson Ltd
Community Award: The Friends of Stanley Park
Best Open Spaces: The Secret Garden, Watson Road Park
Best Night Time Economy: The Stanley Arms, Brew Room
Best New Housing Development: Blackpool Housing Company,
for the conversion of properties at 114-120 Albert Road
Best Refurbishment: Thames Primary Academy
Judges special award: Donna?s Dream House
Highly Commended: The Little Black Pug Bar
Highly Commended: VIVA Diner
Best Shop Front: Highly Commended: Lingerie Lounge
Transforming Blackpool: World Fireworks Championship Blackpool
Special Award: The Street Angels
Thanks to those who have sponsored? the awards this evening.
Blackpool Borough Council
Cassidy & Ashton Architects of Preston & Chester
We have also been supported by several local businesses.
Blackpool Pleasure Beach
Burbage Holiday Group
Number One Hotels Group
Parks Art Deco Caf?
Sainsbury Blackpool
Sandcastle Waterpark
St Stephens on the Cliffs
The Imperial Hotel
The Model Village
The Winter Gardens
The Award Winners Photo Gallery
Junior School Environmental Shield: Park Community Academy
Senior School Environmental Shield: Park Community Academy
Each class from Key Stage 1 to Key Stage 5 has an ECO Council representative and ECO warriors, with their own special uniform!? The ECO Council meets each term to discuss environmental issues and upcoming events and these pupils help set the agenda for the year.
As well as working locally, the school also provides opportunities for pupils to learn outdoors at education centres beyond Blackpool such as; Myerscough, Bendrigg and Tower Wood.The proudest achievement this year has been receiving The Foundation Certificate for the International School Award. To attain this, pupils have been sharing learning about festivals, culture and art. They are aiming to sustain these close links with other countries to enhance Park Community?s global citizenship links within the curriculum and to achieve their Intermediate Award
Blackpool Council Conservation Award:
Blackpool Council Property Services Department and F Parkinson Ltd
and Paul Humble of Blackpool Civic Trust
F.Parkinson Ltd: the main concern was how a new external lift shaft could be made to blend in with the original Art Deco Council Office building with its carved stone frieze depicting the advancements in road, rail and air transport, particularly in such a prominent position.
After much negotiation on materials and design, plans were passed by the Planning Committee in April 2017, but there were still reservations?.
Earlier this year as the lift neared completion, certain nay-sayers were forced to eat hats as the wraps came off a structure whose attention to detail, workmanship and close matching of materials made it look like it had always been there.
This second Conservation Award is for a volunteer within the Civic Trust who has supported the Civic Trust and Blackpool Council?s Conservation Officer on a number of projects.? Our second Conservation Award goes to Paul Humble! From coordinating the training of Civic Trust volunteers to work at height on scaffolds, to hundreds of high quality photographs to support the proposed creation of a conservation area for North Shore. Paul has brought a calm professionalism to everything he does.
Community Award: The Friends of Stanley Park
The Friends? group was begun in 2002 and in 2005 a former joiner?s workshop in the park was turned into a Visitor Centre as a base for the group, a facility which has been predominantly run by its volunteers since then. The Friends host a number of regular fundraising activities, including events at Easter, Christmas and Halloween.?
The money raised is spent on the maintenance and improvement of Stanley Park.? Recent examples of this include works to the Italian Fountain, Floral Clock and repairing and re-painting the Bandstand.
But it?s not all about fundraising. Members are often up early each day to pick up litter and work hard to organise a fantastic programme of free concerts hosted at the bandstand across the summer.
In 2017 there was a huge party in the park to celebrate its 90th year. Lord Derby came and re-enacted his grandfather?s original opening of the gates and to top it all off, the Friends were delighted to win the Fields in Trust, Field Day 2017 for this celebration and the Fields in Trust, Best Park in the UK 2017.
This last award was more important than anything else because it was won by national popular vote which proved just how many people love Stanley Park.
Best Open Spaces: The Secret Garden, Watson Road Park
Approximately 7 years ago The Friends of Watson Road Park received a surprise phone call from Alan Hume of Groundwork. He asked if the Friends would be willing to consider taking over the running of an area of the Watson Road Park at the rear of the bowling green. This part of the park had previously been managed by the Alzheimer?s Society.
A quick phone call was made to the Council?s Parks Department and the Friends received permission to proceed.
Unfortunately, when the Friends took it over, the garden was in a very poor state. Carpets covered the ground to suppress weeds and rubbish had begun to build up. The Friends ordered skips and organized members and other volunteers to clear the ground and replant the garden, inviting children from Thames School to help.
It was originally proposed to designate this part of Watson Road Park as a Memorial or Remembrance Garden and many people do use it for quiet contemplation. But it was finally decided to call it ?The Secret Garden? and even some local residents don?t always realise that such a beautiful garden is just round the corner!
Best Night Time Economy: The Stanley Arms, Brew Room.
The Stanley Arms was built in 1880 and is probably most famous for being the place where Blackpool Football Club was formed in 1887.? An attractive gothic revival building in sandstone and brick, it?s also one of the few Blackpool pubs that hasn?t changed too much externally and the carved and painted arms of the Stanley Earls of Derby are proudly displayed over the door.
But this wasn?t always the case.? When Robert and Gaynor Wynne bought the building in June 2017 it had a damaged roof, no utility connections and was semi derelict.
The initial work included the repair or replacement of damaged windows, the roof and external tiles. The building was completely rewired and ground floor refurbished with the aim to keep all the original features.
More significantly, redundant space on the south end of the property was used to build Blackpool?s first microbrewery, providing jobs and creating the first new brewery in Blackpool for many years.
The pub is unique in having no beer from any major brewery on draught. All the 25 draught lines are either brewed on site or from smaller regional breweries. We look forward to the new beer and future developments at this fantastic venue! Robert and Gaynor Wynne:
The awards above were chosen by Blackpool Civic Trust, the following awards are chosen by a panel of judges who are:
Lawrence McBurney is an architect with Cassidy and Ashton
Clare Johnson is from Blackpool Council?s Planning Department.
Canon Andrew Sage?? is Blackpool Civic Trust?s Planning Officer????
Best New Housing Development: Blackpool Housing Company,
for the conversion of properties at 114-120 Albert Road
This project is the largest and most challenging project completed by the My Blackpool Home to date. The scheme involved converting two hotels into twenty, one and two bedroom apartments.? Works were completed in December 2017 by Lancashire based construction firm, Eric Wright Group.
The Malibu was a thirty two bedroom hotel with a long and difficult history associated with anti-social behavior. The Astoria, also with more than thirty bedrooms, had been closed following a fire which caused extensive damage in January 2015.
There was a focus on the restoration of the original buildings with the retention and repair of traditional decorative features. New roofs with traditional style leaded dormer windows were installed and the external upgrades to restore and replace period features make a substantial contribution to the street scene.
More importantly the properties set a new standard of quality in this location, not only in the building work but in the inclusion of energy saving and insulation innovations, helping tenants save money on bills and household costs.
Best Refurbishment: Thames Primary Academy
In 2013 the Governors took the decision to auction an oil painting that had been left to the school by Councillor Halstead in 1926. Following a nail biting auction they were astounded to receive ?240,000 for the painting. They then decided to ask the children to think about how the money could be spent to best effect.
The school council presented their ideas to the Headteacher and the suggested areas for improvement were the classrooms, the playground and, in particular, the toilets!
The school commissioned CreativSparc Architects to work with them to develop a master plan that would see the complete redesign and improvement of the original school buildings and playground (especially the toilets!). Work commenced in the summer of 2014 with Conlon?s being the chosen building contractor.
Over a three year period, Thames Primary Academy have created a stunning environment for the school children. The sense of space and light are evident to everyone entering the building and the classrooms are a pleasure to work in for both children and their teachers.
If only Councillor Halsted could have seen the transformation that his legacy has created!
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Thames Primary Academy!
Highly Commended: The Little Black Pug Bar
As some people may know, Little Black Pug Bar was formally a tax office and had never been a public house or indeed a building that anyone might go into voluntarily!
That?s all changed now with a stylish new bar that has restored a lot of original character to what had been series of drab offices.? The new owners removed all the of partitions and re-opened the generously proportioned rooms.?
A new bar had to be designed to complement the original size and design of the spaces and the new d?cor features clever contemporary twists on traditional themes and lots of attractive lighting.
A huge amount of hard work and dedication has been put in to this successful new business, creating new jobs in the town centre and transforming an attractive but empty building into a buzzing meeting place in the town centre.
Please welcome Robert Dick and representatives of the Little Black Pug.
Highly Commended: VIVA Diner
Set on Blackpool?s iconic Golden Mile, the VIVA Vegas Diner offers a trip back in time to the fabulous era of the 1950?s for a unique and high quality dining and entertainment experience.
Featuring classic car fitted booths and a retro inspired bar, with fantastic memorabilia, this restaurant, bar and grill truly captures the aesthetic of a 1950?s diner with a touch of Las Vegas thrown in.
Alongside a delicious menu full of all those tasty American classics, including the most amazing milkshakes, hotdogs and burgers, customers can also experience a service like no other. This is due to the incredible, all singing, all dancing routines performed by staff who break out into performances throughout the day!?
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome representatives of VIVA Diner.
Judges special award: Donna?s Dream House
Donna?s Dream House is a Charity created after the death of Len and Babs Curtis? daughter Donna Marie Curtis to provide holidays for seriously ill children and their families.
Towards the end of 2016 the Kentown Wizard Foundation made it possible for Donna?s Dream House to undertake major refurbishment, modernising the facilities on offer to the special families that stay there.
This generous donation enabled them to completely refurbish the interior of the family accommodation as well as repairing and improving the exterior of the buildings. Work also included the new ?Ken?s? free Ice-Cream Parlour and ?Jan?s? Sensory Room which was completed with the support of other special donors.
Whilst the money enabled Donna?s Dream House to purchase the materials and equipment, they wouldn?t have been able to undertake the work without the generous support of many individuals. From the Donnas Dream House Team to inmates from Kirkham Open Prison and many others who gave their time to complete the work.
Ladies and gentlemen, please, a huge round of applause for Donna?s Dreamhouse!
Best Shop Front: Highly Commended: Lingerie Lounge
The Lingerie Lounge opened in September 2015 on Queen Street but it became apparent very quickly that the shop needed a lot more space.
They viewed 174 Church Street in the summer of 2016 and saw its potential. They loved the building and its prominent location. However it needed a lot doing to it to bring it back up to scratch!
Having got access to the premises they worked hard over 4 weeks to complete renovations and open in time for the Christmas season. Local professionals were enlisted, in particular BWD Design and the entire interior was stripped out.
A crumbling office ceiling was removed and beneath this they found some beautiful original features. With more help from family and friends, the doors were opened on 1st December just in time for Christmas.
The fantastic displays in the large windows of the shop front and views to the stylish interior of the shop have added to the quality of the local street-scape and encouraged other new businesses to set up in the area.
Ladies and gentlemen please welcome representatives from the Lingerie Lounge.
Transforming Blackpool: World Fireworks Championship Blackpool
Each September as the summer fades, not only do the Blackpool Illuminations light up Blackpool Promenade, the World Fireworks Championships light up the sky! Taking place each Friday in September after the Blackpool Illuminations Switch-On, some of the world?s best pyrotechnic artists bring fireworks displays to Blackpool in superb fashion.
During each of the first three weeks, an international team arrives in Blackpool to bring their best willow, glitter and crackle fireworks to compete for the champion?s trophy. Regardless of which evening a visitor chooses (and many come to them all), they can expect a perfectly sychronised soundtrack which will provide a stunning accompaniment to the jaw dropping displays.
In the final week, a UK team provides an astonishing show as we celebrate the winner?s announcement.
The best thing? It?s all free. Visitors bring the whole family; these breathtaking spectacles overhead captivate everyone from toddlers to grandparents. It?s fantastic to see so many couples, families and groups follow a tradition of indulging in fish and chips or an ice-cream to sit back and see the entire resort up in lights.
Ladies and gentlemen welcome Visit Blackpool, the World Fireworks Championship Team!
Special Award: The Street Angels
Blackpool and the Fylde Street Angels are part of a national network of groups which was started in started in Halifax in 2005 looking out for those who need compassion and practical help when in difficulty on a night out. Locally, the Street Angels team was formed in June 2012 and many of the volunteers come from local churches, but volunteers may come from any faith or non-faith background.
The team works in close partnership with other organisations that promote safety and welfare, including the local police, ambulance service and the door staff of pubs and clubs across the town.
They regularly deal with vulnerable people and provide basic first aid, hand out water, flip flops and provide assistance with directions and information.
This may sound like fairly basic stuff, but f you?ve ever lost your party, or a heel, or fallen over on a night out, you?ll know what a god-send a friendly face and a bit of kindness and help can be.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the Blackpool & Fylde Street Angels!
Special Presentations
Thanks to Andy Mitchell for reading the Citations:
Thanks to the Deputy Mayor Gary Coleman, presentation to the Deputy Mayoress Debbie Coleman
Thanks to the President of Blackpool Civic Trust, Elaine Smith MBE
Thanks to Andy of Radio Wave, Carl Carrington and Jan Cresswell of Blackpool Council
