I had a day off (of sorts) yesterday. Well, from blogging anyway. The pair of us were up early as the both of us had work to do in Huddersfield. Dee was at the Community Rail Network office whilst I had a fascinating couple of hours with a charity (Platform 1) who’re also based at the railway station. I won’t go into too much detail now as my article will be appearing in a future edition of RAIL magazine – but it won’t be about trains. Charities like Platform 1 have really stepped up to the plate to provide services to some of the most vulnerable in society during the pandemic. Their work’s invaluable at the best of times, but these are the worst of times.

Back at home in the warm (remember, I’m not used to spending January/February in the UK) I spent the afternoon writing up my notes and continuing to scan old slides – a process I’ve continued today as I’m back in the bosom of the Calder Valley with nowhere else to go! Well, in the real world anyway. Picture-wise I’ve been to Merseyside, Denmark, Essex, Sussex, back in London – then Greece – in my own personal time-machine which has transported me back to the year 2000.

This has given me a huge range of images to choose from for the picture of the day, which has been a difficult choice. In the end, I plumped for this. Of all the places, I’ve gone back to the town I grew up in, but that’s because the picture’s worthwhile. I took this shot on the 15th April 2000 whilst visiting my family. This is the old Southport pier being demolished.

But, fear not. It was being demolished in order to be rebuilt. The original 1860 iron structure was rotten after 140 years of being exposed to the elements – and the sea. Yes, I know the old jokes about the sea never coming in at Southport, but it does – honest! Once upon a time you could catch steamships from the end of the 1000m long structure (the 2nd longest pier in the UK) to resorts on the North Wales coast. Nowadays it’s a lot quieter, but it still provides some wonderful views along the coast. If you want to see some more pictures of the pier during and after rebuilding, you can find them here.

I’ve a favour to ask…
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Thank you!