World Class Mountain Bike Centre Opens In Gwynedd

In an area where the terrain lends itself to all things rugged and outdoors,  a Gwynedd forest has cemented its place as a world-class mountain biking destination with the official opening of a new £1.7m extension.

World class facilities at Coed-y-Brenin

Almost doubling the size of the existing centre at Coed-y-Brenin near Dolgellau, the improvements include the provision of a new beginners bike skills section which is called Y Ffowndri (The Foundry), as well as a hire centre and bike shop.

The new buildings at Coed-y-Brenin near Dolgellau almost double the size of facilities at the forest, including a new bike shop and hire centre.

Culture and Sports Minister John Griffiths said, "These world-class facilities in the heart of Snowdonia help showcase the fantastic landscape we have in Wales for responsible outdoor recreation," said the minister.

"Visitors to Wales cite the natural environment as the primary reason for their visit, and the contribution to the Welsh economy of outdoor recreation, particularly in rural areas, mustn't be underestimated. Improving access to the outdoors clearly has the potential to benefit Wales greatly."

The centre is proud of the fact that the new buildings at the forest site have come from timber sourced entirely at Coed-y-Brenin itself. The centre now becomes one of four sites known as the Snowdonia Centre of Excellence, a £4m project backed through EU funding and the Welsh government to develop outdoor activities throughout the year.

Managed by Natural Resources Wales, previously known as the Forestry Commission, the new extension will provide round the clock access to the mountain biking attraction. The Y Ffowndri skills centre is particularly focused on newcomers, to help give them the foundations skills required before they head out onto the the bike trails, which range from beginner sections to 'severe' black routes, with names like 'Beast of Brenin' and 'Tarw' (Bull). A new trail will also be available called MinorTaur, which is an intermediate route that can cater for individuals with disabilities.

Tim Jones of Natural Resources Wales added: "We are committed to providing people with opportunities to access our countryside and to lead more active lifestyles and Coed-y-Brenin delivers on a grand scale, as the visitor numbers demonstrate.

"In addition to nurturing the well-being of people drawn to this wonderful location in the heart of Snowdonia, we must not overlook the important support that Coed-y-Brenin provides for the local economy as many of these visitors take advantage of the warm hospitality on offer in the area."

      http://www.mbwales.com/en/content/cms/Centres/Coed_y_Brenin/Coed_y_Brenin.aspx

Stirling Prize Winner Is Astley Castle

Described as an “exceptional example of how modern architecture can revive an ancient monument”, Astley Castle is this year’s winner of the  RIBA Stirling Prize For Architecture. RIBA president Stephen Hodder called it "a real labour of love".

Astley Castle has a new lease of life

In choosing the castle, the judges proved that there are occasions when the public and the professionals agree on something, because the castle had also been nominated by 27% of the members of the public who had voted in an on-line poll last Wednesday.

Entrants had to be  RIBA members, and the winning company was Witherford Watson Mann Architects,  beating off competition from a Stirling Prize shortlist that included the Giant's Causeway Visitor Centre in Northern Ireland and Park Hill, a renovated 1960s estate in Sheffield.

Other contenders included Newhall Be - a suburban development in Harlow, Essex; the University of Limerick Medical Centre and Bishop Edward King Chapel.

Astley Castle is choc full of history, once being the home of the aristocratic Grey family. There are links to three queens of England and it gained Grade II listed status in 1951.

Having once been a  mediaeval manor, it became a Parliamentarian garrison during the English Civil War. Now re-invented as a quality holiday home, you will need patience if you want to stay there as it is already booked up for the next two years.

Before the firm started work on the 12th Century property, Astley Castle had been lying in ruins and was in a state of collapse, gutted by a 1978 fire.

"Rather than a conventional restoration project, the architects have designed an incredibly powerful contemporary house which is expertly and intricately intertwined with 800 years of history," said Mr Hodder.

He continued: "Every detail has been carefully considered, from a specific brick pattern to the exact angle of a view, resulting in a sensually rich experience for all who visit. It was realised in true collaboration between a visionary client, designer and contractors."

The Stirling Prize has celebrated its eighteenth birthday this year and is awarded to the best new building of the year, constructed in the European Union and designed in the UK.
2012's winner was the Sainsbury Laboratory, an £82m plant research centre at the University of Cambridge, which beat London's Olympic Stadium and Belfast's Lyric Theatre.

Mr Hodder said he was "delighted" to present the winning architects with the Stirling Prize trophy at a special ceremony at Central Saint Martins in London's King's Cross.

                                               http://ribastirlingprize.architecture.com/

Collapse Of Take Over Deal Is Bad News For Exploris

Having recently featured a Northern Ireland tourist attraction that was seeking to be proactive, it appears that current news is not so positive relating to another top venue in the land of the six counties.

Uncertain times at Exploris

The owners of the SS Nomadic, the remaining ship of The White Star Line were seeking to ally themselves with the nearby Titanic exhibition in Belfast to offer possible dual ticketing. Economic conditions remain harsh, and such a move has more than a modicum of sense about it.

Different, and regrettably more downbeat news from Portaferry, County Down, where a council meeting has agreed to defer a decision relating to the future of the Exploris Aquarium. The decision that has been deferred is about possible closure, with this having come about because take over talks for the private firm Livingstone Leisure to be granted a 25 year lease on the centre and parkland have fallen through.

Last week, Ards Borough Council's development committee recommended that the aquarium should be shut and sold, although last night’s meeting has deferred this decision for two months. It currently costs ratepayers £600,000 per year to maintain the marine conservation facility on the shore of Strangford Lough. Suggestions are that questions relating to staff pension provision were at the heart of the breakdown with Livingstone.

The tourist attraction first opened in 1987, then being known as the Northern Ireland Aquarium. During its lifetime it has always been owned and operated by Ards Borough Council and it was extended and renamed Exploris in 1994. The seal sanctuary part which opened in 1999 seeks to help injured and orphaned seal pups.

Following yesterday’s meeting, a statement from Ards Borough Council said the closure "would be stayed for two months, to allow for firm proposals for alternative funding to come from central government departments - Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), Environment (DoE) and Education (DE)".

Deputy Mayor Philip Smith said: "While there has never been any indication of a subvention for Exploris from central government, there does now appear to be a possibility that funding could be made available.  Our decision allows time for that option to be explored. However, we do have to emphasise that the decision to close still stands if external funding is not forthcoming."

More than 100 people had gathered before the meeting, meeting outside the council's headquarters to protest at the proposed closure. The protest was supported by members of the Northern Ireland Public Service Alliance (NIPSA) trade union, which had also called for the decision to be deferred. Eighteen people are currently employed on permanent contracts at Exploris.

David McNarry, the United Kingdom Independence Party MLA for Strangford, has described Exploris as "a fancy play thing for anoraks".  In a recent interview, Mr McNarry said: "Once seen is usually enough. It's in the back end of nowhere."

Harsh words maybe, but in a part of Britain that finds it as hard as any to support a quality tourism industry, it is to be hoped that the Exploris story will have a happy ending.


                                                         http://www.exploris.org.uk/

Charity Benefits From Annual North Sea Skinny Dip

Just a couple of thoughts before we go any further. If you are all year to arrange an annual skinny dip, is it wise to hold it as autumn is upon us, and more to the point, would it be better to hold it somewhere slightly warmer than the North Sea?

Peaceful Druridge Bay

Well I think that the answer to both those questions is the same answer that you would get if you asked any of the participants of the North East Skinny Dip that has just taken place at Druridge Bay in Northumberland, and that would be that the colder and more unforgiving the better.

The fact that those taking part, and they ranged from ages 5 to 72, have paid £10 for the “privilege” means that charities benefit. This year the mental health charity Mind took a share of the estimated £2,000 raised, with another allocation going to conservation work at the National Trust.

The organisers had hoped that they might beat the world record of 506 participants, but it was not to be. The event is timed to coincide with the autumn equinox, which marks the transition from summer to winter. The start time of 6.45 in the morning is also another reason to wonder at what is going on.

Health worker Jacqueline Higginson organised the fundraiser after taking part in a record dip in Wales in 2011.

She said: "It’s about taking a risk, celebrating our unique bodies, being close to nature, raising money for charity and maybe even breaking a world record."

Our editing team have chosen the accompanying photograph carefully, showing the delights of Druridge Bay on a normal day. If you want to see anything different, I suggest that you join in next year’s event – at your peril!

£4.2 million Refurbishment Pays Off For Penarth Pier

It is always nice to promote good news as far as our beleaguered piers are concerned, and although £4.2 million is a lot of money in these tough economic times, supporters of Penarth Pier in the Vale of Glamorgan will consider it money well spent.

New lease of life for Penarth Pier

The completion of the renovation works has been marked by an event held at the Pier Pavilion's Room 617, which remembers Penarth’s strong links with Wing Commander Guy Gibson VC, who led the famous Dambuster raids in the Second World War. He married a local woman, and lived in the town before the raids.

As a nice touch, the launch of the Room 617 was attended by members of the armed services and representatives from the current 617 squadron who flew down from Scotland especially. Other test events will follow to ensure that all is working smoothly before the pavilion reopens fully in December.

Director Dr David Trotman says the pier's community use would help it survive in the future, and he was pleased that the town’s connections to Wing Commander Gibson had been highlighted.

"He was one of those iconic figures who a lot of people still recognise," said Dr Trotman. “One of his favourite pastimes when on leave was to play golf at Penarth's Glamorganshire Golf Club. It was here that he heard the news that he had been awarded his Victoria Cross (for the Dambusters' raids)."

Following on from this strong service connection, the room is intended have a future use in helping those from the services with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In fact, the first event was also attended by members of local support groups for PTSD.

Dr Trotman said the reception showed their commitment to support service veterans of conflicts ranging from WWII to the current day Afghanistan who have the condition.

It is some two and a half years since plans for the renovation got the go ahead. The art deco-style pavilion was not in place when the pier first opened in 1895, but resulted from the original wooden pavilion burning down in 1929. Many visitors to the original grand opening arrived by paddle steamer.

American troops wooed local girls at the Pavilion during World War II, and stars such as Gene Vincent, Tom Jones and Petula Clark performed there during its nightclub heydays in the 50’s and 60’s.

Its fortunes faded, but Dr Trotman said that the heart of the new pavilion will be serving the community of Penarth, the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. He also has wanted to reignite the kind of old fashioned tourism which Penarth, and neighbouring Barry, used to be famous for, with visitors arriving there by train.

There will be a community based cinema and there will also be a gallery for hosting exhibitions and events like concerts and musical evenings and a learning space which will provide a programme of work with local children, young people and disadvantaged groups, among them people with Alzheimer's and dementia.

With a projected visitor number of  50,000 visitors to the pavilion in the first year, Dr Trotman feels as though “ we are bucking the trend of what's happened to many piers around the country. But there's an amazing amount of good will and I'm confident it can work."

                                                         http://www.penarthpavilion.co.uk/
                                                              http://www.dambusters.biz/

SS Nomadic Trust Seeks To Boost Ticket Sales.

SS Nomadic is not only one of Belfast’s newest attractions, but it is also the last remaining vessel of the iconic White Star Line, the operators of the Titanic and its sister ships. It has a particular place in history as it was constructed to ferry first and second class passengers to the Titanic.

SS Nomadic - looking at price incentives

Although it had 13,000 paying visitors in its first three months, the operators are more than aware that the difficult economic are still with us, and they are looking into changes in ticketing to help boost visitor numbers. Under consideration are plans to reduce admission prices for winter, but more interestingly there is talk that they may aim to secure a joint ticketing deal with the Titanic Belfast signature tourism project next year.

The Nomadic is sited on the Belfast docks where it was constructed and fitted out. The chairman of the Nomadic Trust, Denis Rooney, said they were "on target" for first year projections, with 40,000 quoted as the break even figure at its opening at the end of May.

But he said reduced prices - £8.50 for an adult - are "under consideration", but no decision has been reached. He added: "Any business has to consider what is appropriate to try and improve its footfall. Do not forget we are only open three-and-a-half months and are trying all sorts of things on the Nomadic."

A more longer term goal may be a joint ticketing arrangement with the nearby £100m Titanic Belfast signature project, discussions on which appear encouraging. To many members of the public, this may seem an obvious move, although with tickets to Titanic Belfast standing at £14.75 for an adult ticket, the cost implications are there to be carefully considered.

Titanic Belfast is a top attraction that boasted 850,000 visitors during its first 12 months in operation. Its chief executive Tim Husbands said: "Joint ticketing is an option currently under discussion between the two parties with a view to introducing such a scheme for the launch early next year."
The Nomadic was saved from the salvage yard and has undergone a £7m restoration programme.

                                                      http://www.nomadicbelfast.com/
                                                        http://www.titanicbelfast.com/

Repainting Under Way At Beachy Head Lighthouse

One of the most iconic landmarks on the coastline of Britain, Beachy Head Lighthouse, is in the process of getting a new coat of paint.  Its famous red and white stripes will be sparkling once again, as a result of a high profile fundraising campaign that raised some £27,000.

Beachy Head, an iconic landmark

The magnificent efforts of fund raisers came after the owner, Trinity House said that the repainting of the granite built structure could not be justified in economic terms.

Fundraising was complete last November, but Shirley Moth, fundraising organiser of Save Our Stripes said that it took some time to find a firm to do the work and organise supplies of the paint.
"It's a special paint, not particularly for lighthouses, but something that will last for 10 years or more," Ms Moth said. "That took time and the job had to go to tender."

She said the lighthouse used to be repainted every 10 years. If the lighthouse needed repainting in a decade's time, campaigners would fundraise again, she added. "We have still got the fund open and we have still got a bit of money," she said.

Jim Bruckshaw, from Sussex Blast Cleaning, said the team painting the landmark had taken the step of hoarding three weeks' supplies just in case they could not get back to land because of the weather.
He said: "We've got to provide for that, but hopefully the weather looks a bit better, so we will be able to get on and off [the lighthouse]. But the main purpose is to get on with the work and get it done in the window of opportunity we have."

Paint has been loaded on to a boat to take to the working lighthouse, with scaffolding being put up later. Supporters who backed the repainting campaign included broadcaster John Craven, writer Bill Bryson and comedians Eddie Izzard and Griff Rhys Jones.

                              http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beachy_Head_Lighthouse

                                           http://www.beachyheadlighthouse.co.uk/

Could These Be Britain’s Oddest Days Out

We think that they are quite normal, but there are some who consider that we may be alone in taking that viewpoint. In a move that shows why foreigners find us so .....well, odd, a list has been compiled of Britain’s Oddest Days Out.

Having enjoyed a pretty reasonable summer, we have had a chance to vote with our feet as to our favourite venues. No doubt there are the usual suspects in amongst the theme parks, safari parks and historic buildings, but lurking in there somewhere are some places that just downright ... odd!

Consider this as a venerable top ten of British idiosyncrasy:

Cumberland Pencil Museum, Keswick, Cumbria

Well it is at least established in an area that has produced pencils for many years, but that’s all that you can say really. Still a popular venue

                                                  http://www.pencilmuseum.co.uk/

Stockport Hat Works Museum, Stockport, Greater Manchester

Apparently the only museum dedicated to hats in the country. Would there really be room for two?

    http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services/leisureculture/visitstockport/museumsandgalleries/hatworks  /?view=Standard

Portmeirion - odd or not odd

Portmeirion, North Wales

Famous as the setting for the cult television series, “The Prisoner”.  Designed by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975. “ Now, who would live in a village like this? It’s over to you David”.

                        http://www.portmeirion-village.com/

National Space Centre, Leicester

Quite a feat for a country that has no great space exploration programme. Certainly a place to stop and think and encourage the next generation of young astronauts

                                                         http://www.spacecentre.co.uk/

Basildon Heritage Trail, Basildon, Essex

A gigantic feat for a town of no great history or beauty. It is famous for the Barstable Hundred Moot. What you mean to say that you have never heard of the Barstable Hundred Moot ? Shame on you!

                    http://www.visitessex.com/discover/cultural/Basildon_Heritage_Trail.aspx

Isle of Arran nudist beach, Arran, Scotland

Bringing a new meaning to the word starkers, this is a place where the brisk Scottish gales end up going in places that they really shouldn’t.

          http://www.walkingclub.org.uk/clothes-free/beach/Cleat_s_Shore_Isle_of_Arran.shtml

National Lawnmower Museum, Southport, Merseyside

Vying with the pencil museum in the oddity stakes, it could only be found in Britain, a country where the weather is sometimes so wet that you can’t mow the lawn.

Lawnmowers - now that's odd!

                                                http://www.lawnmowerworld.co.uk/

Genesis Expo Creation Museum, Portsmouth

It only just makes the list as many people find it fascinating. The note in the visitors book that says “Nice To See Some Dinosaurs in Portsmouth” says it all!

                                                       http://www.genesisexpo.co.uk/

Nessie-spotting, Loch Ness, The Highlands

Most people know in their heart of hearts that it probably doesn’t exist, but that doesn’t stop them spending hour after hour looking out over the waters hoping that it will make an appearance.

                                                       http://www.visitlochness.com/

Diggerland, Yorkshire, Kent, County Durham, Devon

The fact that it has more than one venue throughout the country suggests that the owners may be on to something. A great venue for little boys, and big boys too!

                                                            http://www.diggerland.com/

Survey Shows That Welsh Tourism Had A “Bumper” Summer

No surprise in that statement perhaps, but Welsh Tourism chiefs have been quick off the mark compared to their opposite numbers in order to get the good news onto the streets. There were still some bones to be picked out of the figures however, as despite the favourable climatic conditions, the underlying economic malaise still had an effect.

The sun shone in Wales in 2013

In what the trade likes to call a “snap shot” survey, more than half of 400 businesses interviewed said they enjoyed a higher turnover this August compared to 2012. Countering this however, more than a fifth of self-catering accommodation providers had a drop in turnover.

Of the businesses which took part in the Wales Tourism Business Survey, only 16% reported a lower turnover than last year. Tourism minister Edwina Hart said the sunshine helped but pointed out that it was important to attract people in all weathers. Following on from the survey, most businesses also said they were feeling confident about the autumn season.

The survey helps us to understand that splendid weather is an over-riding factor in providing a feel good factor, but one man’s meat is another man’s poison, as indoor attractions can suffer.
An example of this was the Plas Glyn y Weddw art gallery at Llanbedrog near Pwllheli, Gwynedd, where there had been worries visitor numbers would fall because tourists would prefer the outdoors.

Gallery director Gwyn Jones said: "We've been pleasantly surprised and we think numbers are up because part of the Wales coastal path now goes through the Plas grounds, and so people are visiting both us and the beach. It was much busier than we expected it to be, and we've got lots going on at the moment too so it's continuing."

Self catering holidays formed a sector where the news was mixed with a 22% drop in turnover reported. Insiders thought, however, that this might be more a pricing issue.
Under the Thatch has around 100 traditional properties throughout Wales and the company's managing director Jill Scott said it had been a great summer "after last year, which was a bit of a disaster".

"There were a lot of last minute bookings - I'd say 50% of them were last minute but overall bookings were up 20% on last year," she said.

She was one of the people who thought poor figures for some self catering operators might be due to pricing issues. "We'd rather they are let out and so we keep our prices affordable and we can also tweak them to suit what's going on - such as when we dropped our prices due to the poor weather last year.

"It also helps that we've got a lot of dog-friendly cottages, because a lot of the people who visit Wales are walkers who want to bring their dogs," she added.

Minister Mrs Hart said it was inevitable that the best summer weather for several years would have given the industry a boost with day trips and last minute break bookings.

"However, it's important that we continue to work with the industry to ensure we have a high quality product which will attract people to Wales - whatever the weather," she said. "The Visit Wales marketing campaign for the autumn is already underway as we look to welcoming visitors over the autumn and winter months and it's good news that confidence for the coming season is high."

Other bullet points of a generally very positive survey include the facts that 57% of Welsh tourism businesses reported that they had received more guests or visitors this August compared to 12 months ago.

73% of attractions reported higher visitor numbers with 62% saying that the good weather had a positive effect on business.


Source: Wales Tourism Business Survey


The Wales Tourism Business Survey, for the Welsh government, involved 404 telephone interviews with tourism business owners/managers on 2 and 3 September.

Stirling Firms Up Its Plans For Scotland’s Year Of Homecoming

In what promises to be a very special year for Scotland with the highlights already being the hosting of the Commonwealth Games and The Ryder Cup, Stirling has taken it upon itself to grab a little bit of the attention by announcing its plans for this splendid year of events.

Scotland Plans A Great 2014

Already enjoying the afterglow of a Lonely Planet survey that put Stirling Castle on a list of the top twenty worldwide attractions, the city has announced a list of some 170 events, including Bannockburn Live - a major event marking the 700th anniversary of the famous battle.

The year will start in style with the annual Hogmanay celebrations and fireworks on the castle esplanade, and another highlight is the hosting of National Armed Forces Day. Other major events will include the Bloody Scotland International Crime Writing Festival, the Spirit of Stirling Whisky Festival, the Stirling Fringe and a Ryder Cup exhibition.  There will also be a huge variety of sporting events, Highland games, concerts, shows and galas.

Provost Mike Robbins said: "Stirling will be at the very heart of Scotland's 2014 Year of Homecoming.  Stirling 2014 is a fabulous mix of events, including major national celebrations, and we look forward to welcoming visitors from all over Scotland, the rest of the UK, and overseas. Stirling is a vibrant modern city with an astonishing history and is surrounded by some of the most beautiful countryside in Scotland.

"The events lined up for next year will give visitors and residents the chance to experience all we have to offer, from cultural and historical celebrations to sporting events and community-based activities."

Mike Cantlay, chairman of national tourism agency VisitScotland, said: "2014 presents a fantastic opportunity to celebrate all that's great about Scotland and place the spotlight on our greatest assets and icons.

"Stirling sums this up perfectly with its dramatic contrast of historical attractions set within a modern cosmopolitan culture.  The variety of events unveiled today combined with Stirling's spectacular backdrop of art galleries, monuments, shops, cobbled streets, museums and the iconic castle itself, will ensure there is something for everyone to enjoy in 2014."

                                                           http://www.stirling2014.co.uk/
                                                             http://www.visitstirling.org/
                                http://www.visitscotland.com/see-do/homecoming-scotland-2014/

Butterfly Numbers Boosted By Hot Summer

It’s probably something that most of us would guess might be a by product of a hot summer, but has now been officially confirmed by a nationwide survey.

Butterflies bounce back during heatwave

It appears that Britain’s butterfly numbers have increased as a result of scorching times just gone by, as revealed by data that has just been made public from the popular annual Big Butterfly Count. A record 46,000 participants took part, and between them their sterling efforts resulted in the best part of 830,000 insects being spotted.

These figures have been accompanied by a sigh of relief from conservationists, who are still twitchy after the washout summer of 2012.

Organised by the charity Butterfly Conservation, the survey invited the public to count how many of 21 common species they can see in a 15 minute period and ran from 20 July to 11 August. Both butterflies and day flying moths benefited from perfect conditions.

"Put simply, butterflies are cold-blooded creatures that rely on the warmth of the sun in order to be active," said Butterfly Conservation's survey manager Richard Fox. "The hot summer this year meant that some butterfly species, which were in their early life cycle stages when the heatwave began were able to capitalise on it giving rise to high numbers of adults during the count in late July and early August."

The small white, the large white and the peacock led the way, while sightings of small tortoiseshells and peacocks rose by a staggering 388% and 3,500% respectively on 2012 figures. The warm weather also saw an increase in the number of visitors from the Continent including the clouded yellow, painted lady and silver Y moth. Only four species had decreased sightings: the ringlet, marbled white, meadow brown and six-spot burnet moth.

Mr Fox commented that the life cycles of these butterflies could offer an explanation for their low numbers. "Each of those four species have a single generation each year, so the meadow brown, ringlet and marbled white butterflies and six-spot burnet moths that were counted this summer were the direct offspring of the ones that were counted last summer," he said.

"Although the numbers of these 'parents' were high last year, their breeding success may have been poor because of the bad weather. Although conservationists are positive about the survey results this year they warn that "the weather will not solve the problem for us".

"UK butterflies are in long-term decline. Long-term studies going back to the 1970s show that three quarters of UK butterfly species have declined in range and many have also decreased in abundance," said Mr Fox. "The only way that we will be able to halt and reverse the long-term declines of these beautiful creatures is by redressing the damage that has been done to wildlife habitats across the UK landscape."

                                         http://www.bigbutterflycount.org/2013mainresults

Record Numbers Volunteering To Help The National Trust

Carrying out duties as diverse as cleaning stately homes to helping with toad patrols, the National Trust was kept going with the help of some 70,000 volunteers last year. Putting that figure into perspective, the Trust said that the figure was similar to the number of games makers at the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games in London.

Other tasty morsels of information include the fact the roles included being room guides and membership recruiters at National Trust properties, counting birds at conservation sites and cleaning beaches. The Trust also highlighted examples of overnight patrols to help toads cross a busy road near Leith Hill, Coldharbour in Surrey, during the mating season and a major spring clean of Victorian Gothic revival house Tyntesfield, near Bristol.

The trust site with the most volunteers is the South Lakes in Cumbria with 937 helpers, while Tyntesfield has 845. Volunteers cover a wide age range from the oldest, Ron Price, 95, who is a room steward at Buckland Abbey in Devon, to Paul, Daisy, and Thomas Nash, aged four, three and 17 months, who help test children's activities at Tyntesfield.

Director-general Dame Helen Ghosh said volunteers were vital to the running of the organisation. "When you visit one of our properties, for the most part the people that welcome you, explain the history of the place and look after it are all volunteers” she said.

"On the coast and in the countryside, it is often volunteers who restore habitats, care for wildlife and maintain footpaths."

Justin Davis Smith, executive director of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, said that research that had been carried out suggested that London 2012 had contributed to an increase in people donating their time. He said: "The trust has clearly risen to the challenge of capturing this spirit and turning it into a lasting legacy. And the legacy is not only of greater community benefit.

"Where volunteering works well, as it clearly does within the National Trust, it benefits all concerned, including the volunteers who learn new skills, meet new people and reap the rewards of improved physical and mental wellbeing."

Human Bones Could Be Displayed At Stonehenge Visitor Centre

When the new £27 million Stonehenge Visitor Centre is finished later this year, there is a good chance that relevant human remains may be on display. The proposal to display the remains has been backed by governors from English Heritage.

New visitor centre by the end of the year

Two of the three sets of human remains were found during excavations more than 50 years ago, while the third was uncovered during road improvement works in 2001. All three sets of remains are more than 4,500 years old.

However, there is a slight fly in the ointment, in as much as a legal challenge is pending from the druid, King Arthur Pendragon. He said: "English Heritage has two choices - they can either be world leaders and show the way to the rest of the world, or they can stick with the Victorian idea of ogling at the dead, in which case they would have the biggest protest in Europe because I would be leading it."

He has a counter proposal which would involve using fake bones instead of real ones.

However English Heritage is steadfast in its support for the plan, saying it was a decision that was consistent with current UK museum practice. It felt that all aspects had been carefully considered and there was strong consensus that it must communicate "all the key narratives and archaeological findings" to the public.

"If English Heritage was not displaying them, they would remain in the collections of the Salisbury and South Wiltshire Museum and the Duckworth Collection, University of Cambridge," said a spokesman for the organisation.

"Their presentation, treatment and storage will follow strict guidelines set out by the UK government's Department for Culture, Media and Sport.  Visitors will be made aware of the display before they enter the exhibition."

Once complete, the new visitor centre will provide information and history about the giant stones.

                       http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/stonehenge/

Could This Wartime Bunker Be One Of Our Next Tourist Attractions

There are a wide range of interesting and unusual tourist attractions scattered around the British Isles, but the possibility that a tunnel network used as a World War II and Cold War bunker could be joining their ranks is certainly turning a head or two.

Britain's next tourist attraction?

The Drakelow Tunnels that are located at Kidderminster in Worcestershire could be turned into a museum and coffee shop under newly submitted plans. Spread over some 285,000 square feet, the tunnels were turned into a regional seat of government during the Cold War in case of a nuclear attack, having previously housed an underground factory for producing aircraft engines.

They were built by Rover under the auspices of the Ministry of Aircraft Production’s Shadow Factory Scheme, being used at the time for storage and machine workshops. There is room for a truck to drive through the main tunnel, and as an added bonus to a fledgling tourist trade, the site has a reputation for paranormal activity.

Prior to having been sold at the end of the Cold War, the government refurbished many parts of the  site, under plans to accommodate important local and national government personnel, including the deputy prime minister, as well as armed forces medical staff. The regional seat of government kitchen was used at the start of the Cold War.

The recently submitted plans would be financed by the construction of three semi-detached houses nearby, and have been lodged with Wyre Forest District Council by the owners Quercus Ilex.

Sid Robinson, one of the volunteers with the Drakelow Tunnels Preservation Trust, said he wanted the tunnels to be turned into a cafe and an education centre.

"We would recreate the eras of the '40s and '50s and set up the offices with desks and chairs like they used to be," he said. "We'd also open the dormitories where the ladies and men used to sleep, and the operating theatre and factory. The original kitchens are still here and we would show footage of when they were working."

A consultation period ends on 15 September.

                                       http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drakelow_Tunnels
                                              http://www.drakelow-tunnels.co.uk/

Severnside Airport Plan Described As “Far Fetched”

At  first glance it does indeed seem a little far fetched. A scheme has been suggested that would see both Cardiff and Bristol airports being sold and a new Severnside Airport being established close to Newport.

Economies of scale at airports

The man behind the proposals has said that there are too many regional airports, and the economy would receive a significant boost if there was one larger hub, similar to the size of Gatwick.
John Borkowski was speaking as Cardiff airport said it was focusing on improvements while Bristol called the plan unrealistic.

It is not the first time that plans of this type have been put forward, but about a decade ago they were rejected by the UK government under an aviation white paper's 30-year plan for air travel. But now fresh proposals have now been submitted to a UK government group looking at the future of air travel.

They put forward the idea that a major airport should be built somewhere along the Welsh coastline, probably just to the south of the former Llanwern Steelworks site in Newport, with a timetable of about 2029. The proposal includes a 4,000m main runway with road links to the M4, sea links and rail links to the main London-Wales mainline.

On the question of jobs, it is suggested that one thousand people would be offered employment while there is also potential for 10,000 support jobs. The airport would also be capable of handling large, transatlantic planes and freight flights, with the number of passengers forecast to rise from 14 million a year initially to around 40 million by 2050. Noise and air pollution would be greatly reduced as plane activity would take place over water.

However, the plans would depend on the sale of the Welsh government-owned Cardiff airport and the privately-owned Bristol Airport - along with the transfer of their passengers and airlines to Severnside.

Mr Borkowski, a former British Airways executive who has his own aviation consultancy, says that the future of air travel in the UK will depend on less regional airports and more large hub airports, partly to reduce the environmental impact but also to aid economic development.

“What we're talking about is a big airport, much more attractive, with state-of-the-art facilities” This airport we're talking about is something completely different [to Cardiff and Bristol].

"I mean, if you look at Cardiff and Bristol, the facilities are okay for a small regional airport but they are not equivalent to the sort of stuff you find in big international airports. What we're talking about is having facilities for full service airlines, not just for low-cost carriers, which is going to attract a different kind of market into that area.

"To attract the inward business traveller, the man who wants to invest, you need a big airport. He doesn't want to fly into Heathrow and then have to get onto a train somewhere."

 Mr Borkowski said that with the potential closure of Heathrow in the future, it was more important to consider developing a larger airport for Wales and the south west.

"If Heathrow isn't there, just say in the case the government decides to develop the Thames Estuary or maybe even Stansted, what happens then?" Because suddenly Wales' traffic has got to go a lot further east to get out by long haul flights or inbound on flights and that's going to make it less attractive to invest in Wales."

He felt that the Welsh government was following the right path by focusing on improving Cardiff airport after recently buying it for £52m amid concerns about falling passenger number. But he was insistent that in the long run it would pay to be part of the Severnside, along with Bristol's owners, to avoid the duplication of flights and build an airport that catered for both holiday and business travellers.

Cardiff Airport has expansion plans

Unsurprisingly, Bristol Airport, which is recognised as one of the best performing regional airports serving around six million passengers a year - has dismissed the idea.

Chief executive officer Robert Sinclair said: "The Airports Commission has received many proposals for different airport schemes right across the UK.  It is important that these are deliverable solutions not somewhat far-fetched proposals reliant on the forced closure of a successful, privately owned airport which supports thousands of jobs.

Cardiff Airport chief executive Jon Horne was also not a great supporter of the proposal, saying that he was pressing ahead with plans to improve the existing airport rather than any potential new Severn airport.

"The focus here is the now and near future and doing the best job we can for the benefit of the people of Wales," he added.

Lincoln Cathedral In Bid For £12million Lottery Boost

You are never far from a headline as far as Lincoln Cathedral is concerned, and the latest news to eminate from Lincolnshire is that cathedral officials are making a bid for up to £12million of Heritage Lottery Funding.

Lottery funds would help tourism

If the bid is successful, the funds will be used to produce interactive tours, create a learning centre and improve access at the main entrance. Speaking on their behalf, Canon John Patrick said the work would transform facilities at the 900-year-old building, which attracts about 180,000 visitors a year.

He said the "ancient and historic city deserves to be better known", which will be music to the ears of the local tourism chiefs.

Canon Patrick went on to say that the project, known as Lincoln Cathedral Connected, would dovetail with a £20m scheme at the castle. This part of the project includes the creation of a special underground vault that would house Lincoln’s copy of the Magna Carta.

He added: "This is a really exciting project - and not only for the cathedral but the city and the county as well. The number of visitors to the city could be increased significantly."

Explaining what they hoped to achieve with the scheme, he said: "One of the things we are really interested in doing is making sure people understand the building by using electronic tablets and creating a new interpretation centre.

"We are also putting the ground back to where it was before the Victorians lowered it in the 19th Century to create an open space which will allow people to walk straight in without the need for ramps."

Although there is free entry to the cathedral, a charge of £6.00 is made for adults who take a guided tour of the building with a £1 fee for a child. Work could begin in 2016 and take about five years to complete.

Some interesting facts about the Cathedral include -

•    It costs about £3m a year to run the cathedral, with about £1m being raised from visitors and events
•    In recent years, it has raised extra revenue being used as a set for films, including The Da Vinci Code and The Young Victoria
•    TV shows, including Antiques Roadshow and Scaling Britain, were also filmed there

                                                             http://lincolncathedral.com/

Amendments Planned To Cheddar Reservoir Plan

Proving that consultations with the public can sometimes result in changes has been seen to be the case with regard to the plans for the creation of a second reservoir in Somerset. As a result of discussions, Bristol Water now hopes to move the site slightly to the south east after it was pointed out that the public thought that it was too close to the existing site at Cheddar.

Increased water demands must be met

As a further issue, it was announced that there would also be some "quite substantive" changes to plans for the 9,400 mega litre reservoir as a result.

Despite the general feeling that the outcome was generally a positive one, there were still some dissenting voices, predictably from those who are most affected.

Farmer Sarah Parsons said that the reservoir would have a "disastrous" effect on wildlife and plants. Her family farm is on the proposed site of the reservoir, which she says is prime agricultural land.
"It's taking the heart out of the farm... it means we will have to farm in an entirely different way... it's going to change everything and nothing's going to be the same. It's going to have a disastrous effect on the flora and fauna of the area.

Bristol Water spokesman Jeremy Williams said while not everybody was happy about the idea, the majority of people accepted the need for a new reservoir.

"We've moved the reservoir slightly [south east] because people were concerned the gap between the two wasn't wide enough - in the process saving quite a few rather beautiful oak trees and mature hedgerows. The feedback shows we've gone quite a long way about meeting people's concerns [about construction traffic] but we can't hide the fact there will be traffic issues for a relatively short period during constructions.

"We have to have a new source of public water supply and it has to go somewhere... to be quite honest a lot of the land we're talking about floods every year. Next we finalise the planning application from the feedback that we've got which goes into Sedgemoor [council] in December and we wait to see what the outcome is," he added.

Plans Unveiled For Restoration Of Clevedon’s Marine Lake

They have been a little while in the making, but there is at last a definite feeling of progress in the air about plans to restore Clevedon’s Marine Lake. Public displays have been organised this week by North Somerset Council, and this is the first play in an effort to secure Heritage Lottery funding to restore the Marine Lake by August 2014 in time for the proposed Tides Festival.

Clevedon Marine Lake - great plans afoot

Originally opened in 1929, Marine Lake was once a huge draw for visitors, but became less popular as cheap overseas package holidays became the vogue in the 1960s.

Taking the bull by the horns, it is hoped that the restoration plans will include a restored promenade, diving boards, bathing huts, paddling pool and strengthened sea wall. As previously mentioned August next year is the proposed completion date, subject to funding.

"If you go down to the seafront on a sunny Sunday, it's packed with people walking past the lake, playing on it, crabbing in it, bathing in it," said Joe Norman from Clevedon Marlens, a group which aims to "bring life" back to the lake.

"It's very popular, at the moment it's very tatty and has very little facilities. We plan to bring some 'zip' back in by providing deckchairs and the old changing cubicles, just to bring back a little bit of the Victorian glamour that was around the lake."

The plans will form the cornerstone to the application which will be put to the Heritage Lottery Fund for monies to renovate the lake. Round One approval was given in September 2012, and the Round Two application will be submitted in the middle of November, with a decision due in early March.

"We need to get as much community support behind us as we can and would welcome any views on plans for the future of the lake," said councillor Peter Bryant, executive member with responsibility for open spaces.

"The lake was once a focal point in the town and the lottery bid aims to recreate this facility so it is fit for the leisure needs of the 21st Century."

In 2004, a community partnership was established and since then the lake has been used for sailing, canoeing, open water swimming and model boat sailing.

                                                            http://www.marlens.org.uk/

Birmingham’s £189 million Library Is Officially Open

At long last, the impressive Library of Birmingham, which has been built at a cost of £189 million has been officially opened.  The opening ceremony was performed by Malala Yousafzai, the teenager shot in the head in Pakistan by the Taliban for championing women's rights. Having been treated at Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, she is now proud to call the city her home.

Birmingham's New Library

Housing some one million books, the library also has more than 200 public access computers, theatres, an exhibition gallery and music rooms. When she conducted the opening ceremony, Malala put her own copy of The Alchemist by Paolo Coelho in the library. Symbolically the book was the last to go on the shelves, and Malala has been given membership to access the archive. In her address, she said that she “was proud that the building had been designed by a woman and the city was now her second home after her beloved Pakistan".

She said that in a way, books were weapons that could defeat terrorism and "the only way to global peace is reading knowledge and education".

"Books are precious," she explained. "Some books travel with you back centuries, others take you into the future. Some take you to the core of your heart and others take you into the universe.
"There's no better way to explain the importance of books than to show even God chose the medium of a book to send his message to his people. This library will continue to enlighten future generations. It is written that a room without books is like a body without a soul. A city without a library is like a graveyard."

The library takes the place of  the previous Central Library, built in the 1970s. It was famously described by Prince Charles as looking like a place where books would be incinerated rather than read.

Library director Brian Gambles, said they were given the go ahead by the council to proceed with the project in October 2007, roughly a year before the financial crisis began. Most of the funding has come by way of borrowing, with a small amount from donations and the council raising funds from sales of land.

Mr Gambles said the building had "echoes of the traditional round reading room with a modern twist". A fusion of the digital and the traditional is absolutely essential to the vision of the library we have," he said of the project, which he has been leading for seven years.

Crowds had being queuing from 09:00 BST in Centenary Square, and as well as Malala, Culture Minister Ed Vaizey and the city's lord mayor Mike Leddy joined architect Francine Houben to officially open the building, while brass band SuperCritical Mass provided music inside.

One particular highlight of the new library is the Shakespeare Memorial Room, which houses  a collection of 43,000 books, including copies of the Bard's First, Second, Third and Fourth Folio editions.

                                                     http://www.libraryofbirmingham.com/

Hadrian’s Wall Being Given A Service And MOT

Or the conservation equivalent anyway! With some £537,000 in the financial pot thanks to heritage grants, specialists including stonemasons have begun taking apart a section of Hadrian’s Wall in Northumberland. The aim is to conserve parts of the central section of the wall which have been placed on the Heritage at Risk register.

Hadrian's Wall - an "iconic" piece of history

The area that is currently being addressed is to be found at Great Chesters, and the works are being directed by the Hadrian's Wall Trust. The trust said it needed to work hard to protect the world heritage "icon".

Work has taken place in other parts of the Wall, particularly between Housesteads and Peel Crags. This area has already been completed, and sections at Burtholme Beck and Port Carlisle are next on the agenda.

Survey work began in June and the full project, which is being funded from the SITA Trust, financed by the recycling and resource management company, is expected to be completed in October. All the work is being done by hand using traditional methods.

Bryan Scott, from the Hadrian's Wall Trust, said: "Each of the sections of the wall being conserved has been treated differently over time, so our approach is different at each section.

"Hadrian's Wall is under constant pressure from the weather, from visitors, from livestock and other factors, and we need to work hard to protect and to conserve this icon of world heritage."

Hadrian's Wall Heritage is responsible for the care, protection and management of the site, from the Roman coastal defences at Ravenglass north through Whitehaven, Workington and Maryport, to Bowness-on-Solway, along Hadrian's Wall through Carlisle to Newcastle, Wallsend and South Shields.

http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/hadrianswall/?gclid=CLHT5dbgrrkCFZShtAodDlgACQ

                                                               http://www.sitatrust.org.uk/

Research Looking To Bring Unique Collyweston Slate Back To Life

Britain is full of distinctive building styles, from the rich honey coloured stone of The Cotswolds to the wide ranging use of flint in East Anglia. Although increasingly expensive to use, they are still readily available if required to comply with strict planning requirements.

Collyweston Slate Could Make A Comeback

One such building material that has virtually died out because of financial constraints on its availability is Collyweston Slate. To be found on rooftops in historic villages, churches and stately homes, Collyweston slate has helped define the look of some of England's most well-loved traditional buildings.

It first appeared as a building material in the Northamptonshire village of Collyweston centuries ago, hence the name, and the mining for the slate throughout the East of England really hit its popular peak in the late 1800s.

However, like many such specialised building materials, it rather hit the buffers in the 1970s, with extraction of the distinctive limestone becoming commercially unviable.
Now English Heritage, together with other partners,  are looking into research to find out whether mining could become commonplace once again, by seeing if they can speed up the timely process of the rock being ready for the roof.

"We've been testing for about a year and we're trying to get the process of the stone being prepared for roofing from three years to within a few weeks," said Chris Wood, head of buildings conservation and research at English Heritage.

"We have got a lot more work to do - this is essentially only testing and trying to get the method right.  It was very successful in the lab, but to do it on a basis where it might be commercially attractive is a lot more work."

Time that nature takes appears to be an important part of the battleground. To get the stone prepared, Mr Wood pointed out that it normally needs to be left outside for three winters until the frost revealed layers that could be broken into perfectly flat slates. But even nature can be manipulated it appears, as it has been discovered that by dousing the rock in water and then putting it in a large freezer, tests have revealed that the natural freeze-thaw process can be moved along pretty quickly.

"It has tremendous potential to be commercially viable again and we're confident the process can be refined," said Mr Wood. "There is huge demand for the slate because it's a unique stone and there is potentially a big market to tap into.

"There are hundreds of buildings around Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and even in London and east Yorkshire that still have the slate on them. But because supply is so low, it's made it expensive and many old unlisted buildings are being stripped of Collyweston which is harming the historic environment."

It seems as though there is a general will for the slate to be used again, so that new buildings can be made to blend with old.

"We want to maintain the distinctiveness of roofscapes in historic areas and there's an impetus to reduce the loss of materials from unprotected buildings," said Mr Wood.

"It's a highly sustainable and green industry and hopefully an active market can start once again with apprentices learning new skills and rural areas having greater employment prospects".