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Latest NewsPlease note that the founder, Flash Bristow, passed away in 2020. This site is kept up to honour her work, but is otherwise moribound. February 10, 2017 A note from the founder, Flash Bristow: Please note that the easiest way to contact me for a rapid, personal response is by text message to 07939 579090. My phone is always silent, but this will attract my attention at the earliest opportunity (whereas email may be delayed). If enquiring about a membership, it would be helpful if you would include the member name and delivery address in your message. Many thanks, I look forward to hearing from you. November 26, 2015 A letter to those members who are waiting for their membership pack (spoiler: we are aware and will be contacting you each personally in the next few days): Hello! This is a personal message from Flash Bristow, of the Pylon Appreciation Society. I and my team owe you a huge apology for the delay in attending to your purchase. The cause was a combination of ill health causing time out, followed by email difficulties meaning that requests were not seen punctually. This is, of course, no excuse - just an attempt to explain and offer a genuine apology to you, with thanks for your patience. What happens next? We understand that we have already succeeded the usual wait period for despatch and are sincerely sorry for this delay. We very much hope you would like to continue with the PAS membership application, but if for any reason the moment has passed, please let us know within the next few days, and it will be be cancelled and refunded. We will be contacting everyone whose order is outstanding, by 30 November - to touch base and let them know it is now being processed as a priority. If for any reason you no longer wish to go ahead, simply reply to this contact by 30 November and the membership request you placed will be cancelled and refunded with no questions asked. You are of course welcome to purchase again at any time in the future and we would be delighted to hear from you. It goes without saying that we will process all outstanding orders that remain in place as fast as possible from here on. Progress will be notified by email and you should expect to be fulfilled within a week of acknowledgment, with the package despatched by first class postage. We do hope that when your membership pack arrives, any delay may be forgotten. Whether your interest is casual, or more involved, you will be able to obtain information from the members' message board; to learn from fascinating videos which show how a river crossing was strung without getting the wires wet; and much more. Plus the membership pack includes badge, stickers, bookmarks, and info card. Thank you for bearing with us during these difficulties, and please do send any feedback to flash@gorge.org - it will always be appreciated. My best wishes and heartfelt thanks. Flash Bristow, 26 November 2015 April 13, 2015: The new T-Pylon has been launched! As you can imagine, it's been a very busy time for PAS. However, we welcome all new members and are working to get your membership packs out as soon as possible. Having said that, if anyone who ordered before Easter (April 5) has still not received their pack, please do get in touch so it can be chased up. The contact address is flash@gorge.org. December 23, 2014: All orders to date, including very last minute gifts ordered today, have been despatched. Thank you to those who reported that they have arrived safely, despite an initial delay. We do anticipate that everyone will have their packs for Christmas. If there are any queries, please contact flash@gorge.org. Anyone receiving a membership pack as a Christmas gift - WELCOME! - please sign up for our members' messageboards where we discuss everything from trivia to detailed powerline analyses. We are a friendly bunch and you will be very welcome there. Do join us! We are now taking a break and the next batch of orders will be despatched from 5 January 2015 onwards. Wishing a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2015, to all our members, fans and readers. December 6, 2014: The last order date for Christmas delivery is Thursday 18 December. After this date packs will stil be sent first class but without guarantee, as Royal Mail's last sending date is the 20th. In the meantime if you are atill awaiting a pack, please contact flash@gorge.org directly. Orders up to 1 November should have been received - if this is not the case please do get in touch so we can trace and resend. There have been a few delays but all outstanding orders to date will be despatched first class on Monday 8 December. April 13, 2014: New Welcome Packs! The welcome packs are changing from their current format, to include bookmarks, stickers, info card etc. as well as your usual badge, membership card and Parts of a Pylon print. The new packs will be rolled out in a fortnight, and will go to all new members, with existing members offered the chance to buy the new items. However, this means that the next despatch date for membership packs is expected to be at the start of May. Unfortunately we are unable to fulfil short-notice requests during this interim period. We look forward to introducing the new look packs! March 9, 2014: Currently waiting for packs to come back into stock but they should all be sent out by the end of this week. We have had some problems with delivery delays (despite sending 1st class) and so you may find a sticker attached asking you to kindly let us know when it was received. It would be very much appreciated if you are able to do so. December 16, 2013: Last order date for Christmas deliveries has now passed, however we will keep sending packs out as soon as possible but with no guarantee that they will arrive in time. All orders received to date have been despatched first class and should be with their UK recipients before Santa! October 13, 2013: Last order date for the UK Christmas deliveries will be Saturday 14 December. For outside the UK, please order by 1 December. Any orders after that date will be fulfilled if possible but with no guarantees of delivery dates. December 9, 2012: Last order date for UK Christmas deliveries has been extended to 14 December; they will be sent out over the weekend of 15/16. Any orders after that date will be fulfilled if possible but with no guarantees. November 7, 2012: Last order date for UK Christmas gifts is Friday 7 December. Any orders after that date will be fulfilled if possible but with no guarantees. February 28, 2012: Everything is back in stock and all new membership packs have been sent out - thanks for your patience during February. We now are back on track and memberships are being sent out as they are ordered. February 16, 2012: There is a slight delay to sending out membership packs, caused by illness. However all packs should be sent out by next weekend (25/26 Feb). Fridge magnets are back in stock and will be sent out. January 9, 2012: We are still out of stock of fridge magnets. The order for magnetic material was been lost in the post - we are waiting for a replacement. All other orders, including new memberships, are unaffected. December 20, 2011: We will send on any orders received before Christmas as soon as we get them but do note that today is the last date that Royal Mail guarantee first class to arrive before Christmas. Also note that we are out of stock of fridge magnets until after Christmas. December 16, 2011: All orders received to date (going back to 27 Nov) will be sent out over this weekend. Orders received after today will be sent out as soon as possible First Class, but without guarantee of Christmas delivery. December 13 2011: Tomorrow, Wed 14 December, is the last day on which we will guarantee UK delivery in time for Christmas. After Wednesday we will send out as soon as we can, but without guarantee. November 28 2011: Christmas gift memberships: Please order by 11.59pm on Wed 14 December to guarantee UK Christmas delivery. Orders after that date will be fulfilled if we possibly can, but without guarantee. November 3 2011: Due to the deluge of new members joining recently, there may be a slight delay in receiving your membership packs. The next batch are expected to be sent out early next week, meaning that people who ordered from 15 October may find their pack arrives a few days late. If this will create any difficulty please contact pylons@gorge.org as soon as possible. August 31 2011: Welcome to everyone who's heard us on the radio this week! We look forward to welcoming many new members. June 10 2011: We were overwhelmed with new members following the news of the design competition, but all membership packs should be going out this weekend, so they will be with you soon! May 22 2011: Pylons will be in the news tomorrow! Look out for Flash on BBC1 Breakfast Show at 0820, and Radio 5 Live at 0855 as well as on Sky News. Members should check in with the messageboard tomorrow to talk about the new hot topic... January 18 2011: The pylon-centric film Among Giants is on BBC iPlayer until Sunday (in tribute to Pete Postlethwaite who died recently). The film is a drama about a team of pylon painters. Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0078hj5/Among_Giants/ December 18 2010: Update on Christmas orders: We will be sending all orders received before midday on Monday 20th in time for Royal Mail's Christmas post. Any orders received after midday on Monday may not be sent in time for Christmas. Also, please note that Royal Mail is experiencing some delays at present due to inclement weather; although we hope they will fulfil their obligation to deliver on time, we cannot be responsible for any delays once we have posted your order. November 24 2010: Stuck for gift ideas? Why not buy a Pylon Appreciation Society membership! Last purchase date for Christmas delivery (in the UK) will be Friday 17 December. Later orders will be sent as soon as possible but without guarantee. Also, please note that due to holidays, any orders placed between 1-10 December will be sent out on Monday 13 December. October 22 2010: The BBC have a new series starting on Tuesday 26 October at 9pm on BBC4 "The secret life of the National Grid". The first programme focusses on the history and construction of pylons and should be essential viewing! Have a look at this clip: October 5 2010: There is currently a short delay on membership packs - we are just waiting for badges to come back into stock. We expect all orders to be fulfilled by the end of this week. This is due to being featured on BBC radio at short notice, leading to a run in sales. Please accept our apologies for anyone who has been waiting for 3 weeks rather than the usual maximum of 2, but please know that your order has not been forgotten! September 30, 2010 We will be featured on BBC Radio Lincolnshire tomorrow, at around 950am, on their Morning Show. It will then be available on BBC iPlayer for 7 days if you want to catch up!. May 29, 2010 More videos added to our members' videos page. As well as videos supplied by Babcock Engineering I have added some footage of the Kincardine river crossing being erected. April 27, 2010 All membership packs to date have been sent out today. Thanks for your patience while we re-ordered. If your pack hasn't arrived by the weekend please do get in touch. April 22, 2010 We've had an influx of new members lately and that's fantastic but we are still waiting for the minicards to come into stock. Membership packs should be sent out next week - although if you have emailed with a birthday deadline it will be met with the last of the current stock. The rest of you, please be patient, your packs are on the way next week! April 12, 2010 New videos! Thanks to Babcock Engineering we have two fantastic videos about the Severn crossing, from the 1960s. They are here: Video page. April 10, 2010 Since our appearance on Have I Got News For You we have had 23 new members. I am sending the packs out as quickly as possible and hope to have them with everyone by the end of the coming week. Welcome and please join the members' messageboard to join our discussions. April 6, 2010 Pylon Guide on TV! Our members' field guide and spotters' guide will feature in the Missing Words round on Have I Got News For You this week. It's on BBC1 at 9pm on Thursday 8th, and BBC2 at 10pm on Monday 12th. December 20, 2009 The last date for Christmas orders has passed, but I will send the packs out as fast as possible at present, so it's down to Royal Mail as to when they arrive! December 5, 2009 Last date for Christmas orders is Friday 18 December. Any orders for Christmas placed after that date will be sent as soon as possible but with no guarantee - so get your Christmas gift orders in now! October 18, 2009 A new chapter of the Field Guide, "Electricity Concepts", has been published today. It's available through the members-only section of this website. October 14, 2009 Due to ongoing postal strikes, there may be a delay in receiving your welcome pack. However we are now sending them out on a weekly (rather than fortnightly) basis, and sooner if possible. If you have any questions please contact membership@pylons.org. August 9, 2009 The Sunday Post features an article about pylons - The Honest Truth - and a photo of Flash of course.Link - for the next week only. July 13, 2009 Flash was on Ireland's radio 4FM today: http://www.4fm.ie/profile.asp?id=8. Listen again to Monday's show (for the next week only) - then right click and download in real player. Once you've downloaded, you can whizz ahead 1hr and 48 minutes to my slot! June 15, 2009 We were on Radio Cyprus today - on Nathan Morley's show. Flash is featured on the podcast - click here to download it. June 5, 2009 Flash will be on BBC Three Counties Radio at 9.40am on Monday 8 June - you can listen in on the internet if you are outside that region. June 2, 2009 We were featured on BBC Radio 2 today - on Chris Evans's Drivetime show. It will be available on iPlayer until 7pm on June 9th - our slot is 1 hour 11 minutes in. April 2, 2009 Alain de Botton's latest book, The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work, includes a whole chapter about pylons and of course we get a mention too. (Regrettably, many of the facts are inaccurate - not our fault!) March 26, 2009 We are featured in the Guardian today, in an article about pylon appreciation. Here's the link. December 9, 2008 Stuck for gift ideas? Why not buy a Pylon Appreciation Society membership! Last purchase date for Christmas delivery is Wednesday 17 December. August 28, 2008 The first chapter of British Electricity Pylons - a field guide is now online. You can download it from the field guide page in the members' section. More chapters will follow! This field guide will ultimately replace the Spotter's Guide August 5, 2008 A wordsearch has been added to the junior members section. July 31, 2008 We now have our 100th member! This is a fantastic milestone for the Association. July 22, 2008 We have a new logo! For information about it please see the new logo page. July 22, 2008 Are there any members in Wales who'd like to talk about pylons on BBC Radio? If so, please email me asap - pylons@gorge.org. July 4, 2008 A new erecting pylons page has been added. This is a step by step guide to how the Kincardine river crossing was accomplished, not a straightforward task! June 22, 2008 A new resources area has been added to the members' section. June 16, 2008 Four more questions have been added to the members' FAQ section. June 13, 2008 The founder of this website will be on Countryfile this Sunday (BBC1, 11am). Note the change of date. The Countryfile article was filmed in Newport, Wales - I was interviewed by Michaela Strachan. June 5, 2008 We now have a messageboard section for our members, please see the messageboard page for more information. It's a place to chat, share photos of pylons and to ask questions. It's your space, so feel free to use it! June 5, 2008 Welcome to the new members who saw me on The One Show - your welcome packs are in the post. May 26, 2008 The date for the One Show feature on pylons is now Tuesday May 27 (tomorrow!) Don't miss seeing the founder of this website on TV! April 23, 2008 The founder of this website, Flash Bristow, will be featured talking about pylons on The One Show on May 28 (BBC1, 7pm) along with a fellow enthusiast. Don't miss it! March 24, 2008 Photos of the tallest towers in the UK have been added to The Gorge. See the Thames Crossing pylons. March 21, 2008 The Spotter's Guide has been overhauled and updated with two new issues. Happy Easter! February 25, 2008 More questions have been added to the members' FAQ section. February 19, 2008 Do you want to be on BBC TV? Pylon enthusiasts needed urgently! [Update - a volunteer has now been found so no more emails please.] Dec 22, 2007 The Pylon Appreciation Society was featured on Three Counties Radio this morning. Welcome to our new members from that region! Oct 5, 2007 Due to the Royal Mail postal strike there is a delay in receiving the prints to send out as part of the new members' packs. Don't worry, you haven't been forgotten and they will be with you as soon as possible. Aug 13, 2007 Don't miss "Real Men on High" tonight - a BBC1 programme about trainee linesmen. It's on at 7.30pm for half an hour. Aug 9, 2007 The Featured Pylon page is now being updated several times a week, do send your photos! July 24, 2007 From 3 August there will be a new feature for summer, featuring interesting pylons from the site as well as new arrivals. I can't say more at the moment but it's possible that we will be on TV... so if you have any new photos of pylons, send them to pylons@gorge.org with the subject "summer snaps". Please give with your name, the location of the pylon(s) in the picture, and any extra information such as what you particularly like about them. Get sending now - the feature starts in 10 days and will be updated frequently. July 24, 2007 If you are a junior member (i.e. under 16) please let us know your birthday, so we can send you good wishes on this website. Send them to pylons@gorge.org with the subject "birthday". June 9, 2007 Sorry that there haven't been any updates for a while. There's a new section coming, with interviews about pylons, but it's taking a little while to get all the information back from people. It will be up as soon as possible! Apr 30, 2007 As a followup to the announcement of one lifetime fee, anyone with an outstanding subscription via Paypal has had it cancelled. Don't worry if you've had a message about that from Paypal - your membership is still valid here, but now you won't be automatically charged an annual renewal fee! We are looking forward to bringing you some new content very soon! Apr 10, 2007 Lifetime membership is now just £10 - no more renewal fees! For various reasons, updates to this site have not been as frequent as planned, so the decision has been made to change membership to a one-time only payment, so members can enjoy the updates whenever they happen. This means that all existing members now have lifetime membership. Your recurring annual subscriptions should be cancelled as of 1 April 2007, but please check and if necessary cancel the subscription with Paypal yourself. Best wishes to all members, we hope you enjoy this change! Feb 26, 2007 It seems that some of the new members packs have not arrived in the post! If you did not get your new members pack within 14 days of joining, please get in touch. We will happily send a replacement. Feb 6, 2007 There is a debate about pylons in Scotland on the BBC website, here. What do you think? Go and have your say! Jan 8, 2007 Unfortunately, the webserver failed over the weekend. This site is now back up but as an older version. Apologies for any inconvenience and there will be an update soon. May 30, 2006 The winner of the Photographic Competition has been announced. See the competition page to find out who is the lucky winner of a pylon model kit. May 18, 2006 This website is featured on Channel 4's webcast, This Is A Knife, including a brief interview with me, Flash Wilson, about half way through. The presenter is proudly wearing a Pylon Appreciation Society badge. Enjoy! (Mums of junior members might want to watch it first, as other parts of the webcast feature some silly videos and voxpops which may be inappropriate.) May 8, 2006 Members can now order A4 sized prints of pylons. There are 15 different images in the set, order as many or as few as you like for just £1 each including postage. See the prints page for more information. May 4, 2006 A long overdue update of the Pylons Around the World gallery has taken place - there are now 36 pages of 537 photos from 36 countries! The new country featured is Latvia. April 6, 2006 Announcing our first photographic competition! It's open to all members, and the prize is a pylon model kit. For more information, please see the competition page. December 21, 2005 The Spotter's Guide has been updated - If you're not a member, you're missing out! March 15, 2005 A long overdue update of the Pylons Around the World gallery has taken place - there are now 35 pages of 505 photos from 35 countries! New countries featured include Brazil and Peru. March 10, 2005 The Pylon Appreciation Society has been inspired by Undercut's debut single 'Soul Food Mother', which has a fantastic cover featuring several pylons of different designs. I'm delighted to see it and hope it will encourage people to think more about pylons; when you are aware of them it can make journeys much more fun! | |||||||
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