To read the day-by-day story of the challenge, click here!
In summer 2016, we undertook our most recent major Extreme Cello challenge, PIER PRESSURE. Over the course of 14 days, we travelled around the coast of Great Britain (including the Isle of Wight), playing on all 58 surviving piers.
Between 20 July and 4 August, we spent 14 days covering the country in a clockwise direction, travelling approximately 2800 miles, raising money for two fantastic charities:
CHICKS (Country Holidays for Inner-City Kids)
A national children's charity providing free respite breaks to disadvantaged children from all over the UK at their three retreat locations. They hope to give up to 1,200 children a respite break in 2016. Click here to read more about CHICKS, or see the video below.
To donate, click on the button to the right, or you can text ECPP55 and the amount you want to donate (e.g. "ECPP55 £10") to 70070.
Alzheimer's Society
The UK's leading dementia support and research charity, here for anyone affected by any form of dementia in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Click here to read more about Alzheimer's Society.
To donate, click on the button to the right, or you can text ECPP66 and the amount you want to donate (e.g. "ECPP66 £10") to 70070.
Our schedule saw us start in Scotland on Wednesday 20 July, and tour the country in a clockwise direction, finishing in Blackpool on Thursday 4 August. The 58 piers are those on the British mainland (including the Isle of Wight) that are recognised by the National Piers Society. The piers we visited on each day were:
- Wednesday 20 July: Dunoon, Rothesay
- Saturday 23 July: Saltburn, Cleethorpes, Skegness
- Sunday 24 July: Cromer, Great Yarmouth Britannia, Great Yarmouth Wellington, Lowestoft South, Lowestoft Claremont
- Monday 25 July: Southwold, Felixstowe, Harwich, Walton-on-the-Naze, Clacton
- Tuesday 26 July: Southend, Gravesend Town, Herne Bay, Folkestone Harbour Arm, Deal
- Wednesday 27 July: Hastings, Eastbourne, Brighton Palace, Worthing, Bognor Regis
- Thursday 28 July: Ryde, Sandown Culver, Totland Bay, Yarmouth
- Friday 29 July: Southsea South Parade, Southsea Clarence, Southampton Royal, Hythe
- Saturday 30 July: Boscombe, Bournemouth, Swanage, Weymouth Bandstand, Weymouth Pleasure
- Sunday 31 July: Falmouth, Paignton, Torquay Princess, Teignmouth Grand
- Monday 1 August: Burnham-on-Sea, Weston-Super-Mare Grand, Weston-Super-Mare Birnbeck, Clevedon
- Tuesday 2 August: Penarth, Mumbles, Aberystwyth Royal
- Wednesday 3 August: Bangor Garth, Beaumaris, Llandudno, Colwyn Bay Victoria
- Thursday 4 August: Southport, St Annes, Blackpool South, Blackpool Central, Blackpool North
In addition, we did evening concerts along the way at St Edmund’s Church, Southwold; St Margaret’s at Cliffe, Kent; and St Michael’s Church, Aberystwyth.
To read the day-by-day story of the challenge, click here! Some video clips of us playing on piers can be found here.
We are also hugely grateful to our corporate sponsors for the tour. In particular we would like to draw attention to Allianz Musical Insurance, who are supporting the whole tour, and two companies who have supplied their products for us to use: The Jolly Design, makers of fine innovative cello & music stands (all in one - see the picture to the right), and Jargar Strings, whose Superior Cello strings we'll be using. Also many thanks to our other corporate sponsors Captain Fawcett, Henderson's Relish, and Thornbridge Brewery.
See how CHICKS makes a difference
