|
May
15, 2005
Flag
man heads for the heights of Burnham Pavilion
Burnham's
seafront briefly came to a standstill this week when walkers and
motorists watched in awe as a brave man clambered across the roof
of the town's pier.
 Burnham
Pavilion, which is the shortest pier in the UK, has to change
its flags every few months or the strong onshore winds tear them
to shreds.
But
new health and safety regulations mean the task cannot be taken
lightly.
Louise
Parkin, daughter of pier owner Harry Parkin, told Burnham-On-Sea.com:
"My father used to go up onto the roof to change the flags
but the regulations that recently come into force mean we're not
able to go up without specialist equipment."
"So
we employ a specialist - Wayne Orchard from Porthcawl-based Celtic
Flag Services - to do the job for us," she said.
"He's
incredible; he shinnies up and changes the flags in a matter of
minutes. He's got incredible balance and clearly has a good head
for heights."
The
plucky flag changer scales the heights of seaside piers across
the West Country, dealing with flags in resorts such as Exmouth
and West Bay. He even counts dozens of churches and castles as
his customers.
Mr
Orchard says the height doesn't bother him: "I've been doing
this for about 12 years and I never feel scared. If you felt scared
you couldn't do the job. Burnham's pier is actually an easy one
to do. The roof is strong and has got good traction."
The
progress of the flag man was watched not only by walkers and motorists
on The Esplanade, but also Internet users thanks to Burnham-On-Sea.com's
live seafront Webcam.
RELATED
LINKS:
Burnham-On-Sea Pier
Historical
photos of Burnham pier and seafront
|
