National Piers Society facts for kids

Logo of the National Piers Society

The National Piers Society (NPS) is a special group in the United Kingdom. It's a charity that works to keep seaside piers safe and enjoyable for everyone. They want to make sure these amazing structures last for a long time!

The society started in 1979. A famous writer named Sir John Betjeman was its first Honorary President. The NPS became a registered charity in 1999. Since 1987, they have published magazines every three months. They also talk to important groups like heritage organizations and local councils about pier issues. In 2014, they helped English Heritage create a book called British Seaside Piers.

What the National Piers Society Does

The National Piers Society does many things to help piers. They hold a big meeting called the Annual General Meeting in a different seaside town each year. These meetings started in 1983. Often, members get to go on special tours of nearby piers. The society is also setting up local groups and hopes to create a National Piers Museum one day.

They work with other important groups too. These include the British Association of Leisure Parks, Piers and Attractions and the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society. In 2005, they even created a company called The National Piers Society Ltd. to help with their work.

Pier of the Year Award

Since 1996, the society has given out a special award called the Pier of the Year. Members of the society vote for their favorite pier. Only piers that are open to the public can win. Also, a pier cannot win if it has won in the last five years.

Here are some of the piers that have won this award:

The society also gives out another award every three years. It's called the Peter Mason Award. This award is for excellent engineering work on piers. It is named after a past Chairman of the society.