Restored Cleethorpes Pier 'will be envy of other resorts'

In what could prove to be the resort's replacement for the much-missed Winter Gardens, the floor from the Kingsway venue, which was knocked down in 2007, has been fitted in the Pier's restaurant.

And the new managers say they have been approached by people hoping to bring back the Bag's Ball.

New leaseholder Alistair Clugston – who runs the Old Barn Inn in Tealby – has taken on the venue and plans to make it "much more than just a nightclub".

He said: "I want to make this landmark a magnet for the area – somewhere that all local people can enjoy and be proud of."

The Pier will serve food between 11am and 9pm as the front building is renamed Tides Bar and Restaurant, making the building a place for families once again.

In time, Mr Clugston also hopes to open the main hall for conferences, community events and even kids parties to make the building a "24/7 venue", he said.

Cleethorpes Pier is one of just 58 left in the UK but it has been closed since previous leaseholders surrendered their licence in September following a catalogue of serious crime and disorder.

As reported, the venue was closed for 28 days after two men leapt from the end of the Pier – one breaking both of his legs – to escape pursuers after an altercation at the venue in the early hours of August 29.

Within weeks, co-directors Steve Calladine and Stephen Grevitt decided to pull out of the venue altogether.

But, despite its chequered past, the future looks bright for the venue once more – a total of 29,000 LED lights have been installed and the view onto the Humber will be widened.

Mr Clugston said: "I am looking at restoring the iconic status that this venue once had.

"I have used local contractors for the refurbishment, I will use local suppliers for the food and it will create jobs for local people – I want it to give the area a lift.

"People are staying in Britain for holidays during this recession but not every town has a pier.

"The town has won the In Bloom competition, the seaside is beautifully kept and it deserves to have a building like this one which will make it the envy of other seaside towns."

Ward councillor Leanor Pidgen (Lib, Croft Baker) said: "I really hope that the ideas the new management have work and the Pier can offer family entertainment again.

"I am pleased it will open in the day and use local suppliers and, fingers crossed, it will become a real draw for Cleethorpes."

Mr Clugston also said that he was keen to address the problems that had previously marred its reputation.

He added: "We are working closely with the police, council and fire brigade to make sure that we stay within the law.

"People will not be able to walk in blind drunk and cause trouble – we don't want their custom."

Mr Clugston's plans for the nightclub include having up to double the amount of door staff as before, introducing a dress code and operating an over-21 policy for the majority of events.

Saving myself with storytelling

I focused on keeping cancer at bay. Between brain-fog and fatigue, I tracked down every possible anti-cancer program on the Internet. I tried alternative therapies: from qigong to meditation, from naturopaths to acupuncturists. I sought nutritional advice: this amount of Vitamin D, not that; no soy, some soy, maybe soy. And I ate kale. Pounds and pounds of kale.

A year later, just as my energy was returning, another tumour was found and required monitoring. More tests. More waiting. I felt the knot in my chest grow tighter.

Call it synchronicity or luck, but that’s when I stumbled upon a writing program at a local cancer-support centre. With trepidation, I took my first step back to writing. We weren’t expected to write about cancer. Some did. I didn’t.

My pieces focused on significant moments from my past: the English teacher responsible for my love of reading; my special bond with my niece, Krista; the story my mother loved to tell of my birth. Each week, in our alternating roles of storyteller and audience, we gave each other a gift: We reminded each other that we each have a bigger story than this disease.

Finally, the interminable wait for test results was over: no evidence of cancer. I should have been dancing for joy. But as I shared the good news with those closest to me, I heard a trace of disbelief in my voice, as if I remained unconvinced.

And then my 16-year-old niece extended an invitation. Actually, it was more like an order. Krista’s blue eyes pierce the dullness of this world like shafts of light. Joy lives in those eyes. So when she looked at me with that wise-beyond-her-years-look and said, “Auntie, you should walk in my high school’s cancer relay for life,” I knew I had to say yes.

The night of the relay, volunteers distributed yellow balloons to those of us at various stages of our cancer journey, to release at the end of our victory lap. But by the time they reached me, they’d run out of balloons. “Take this, Auntie,” Krista said, handing me a bright blue balloon attached to an extremely long ribbon. I later learned she’d asked for one of the balloons decorating the admissions tables. With Krista cheering me on, her mom, my sister Marisa, at my side and a blue balloon flying overhead, I began walking.