28 July 2020
While COVID-19 is still having an impact on UK tourism, there is plenty of positive news to be found too. We’ll do our best to keep you updated, via various means, about some of the best examples of how tourism businesses in the destinations we represent are rising to the challenge.
#newsin30seconds
Derby opens new, alfresco city centre meeting-and-eating venue
Derby Market Place has been transformed into a vibrant 330-person capacity meeting-and-eating space, where people can enjoy produce from local retailers. The al-fresco venue features 30 bookable chalets, outdoor tables and a performance area. The area opened on July 25, and visitors can reserve a table for up to six people.
New shop to become a hub for running, cycling and outdoor adventures
Peak: Run & Ride– scheduled to open at The Trentham Shopping Village in Staffordshire at the start of September – will be no ordinary shop; and is bringing with it its own clear message that retail units in the future may need to diversify in order to succeed. Selling the highest quality of product, topped-off with advice and a full bike-fitting and gait-analysis service, Peak is also now a hub for a range of outdoor activities.
Unlock summer in Hampshire
A new campaign launched by Visit Hampshire is set to inspire visitors by sharing the best things you can do in Hampshire, under the theme of ‘unlocking’ coast and countryside open spaces, amazing attractions and adventurous activities – while also highlighting the county’s most Instagramable towns and villages
Sculpture at Doddington returns for 2020
Doddington Hall & Gardens’ popular sculpture exhibition is returning to the historic hall for a summer of art and culture. From July 25 to September 6, visitors will be able to enjoy almost 400 works of 68 sculptors set against the backdrop of Lincolnshire’s Doddington’s Elizabethan gardens, part of the Hidden England consortium of heritage attractions (). Visitors should book tickets in advance. International and national artists will have their sculptures featured, including Simon Gudgeon, one of Britain’s leading contemporary sculptors
Hull’s award-winning malarkey
While Hull’s 2020 children’s literature festival, The Big Malarkey, fell victim to COVID-19 restrictions, it aims to be back in 2021. Last year’s six-day festival, meanwhile, has been shortlisted in the ‘Fantastic for Families Awards’ for its outstanding contribution to family-friendly arts and culture. The Arts Council awards celebrate the UK’s best creative family events or spaces, and the Hull Libraries’ festival has been shortlisted for Best Family Event of 2019
Songs of Praise from The Trentham Estate, August 16
BBC TV will be singing the praises of The Trentham Estate next month. Having noticed the full appeal of its award-winning gardens, thanks to the nationwide publicity the Virtual Tour of the Spring Bulb Festival generated during the lockdown, the producers of Songs of Praise made contact with The Trentham Estate to discuss the possibilities of filming a socially-distanced service for the show…which is now scheduled for broadcast on August 16
‘A-mazing’ tribute to the NHS
Award-winning Lincolnshire farm shop, butchery and cafe, Uncle Henry’s, has unveiled its popular summer Maize Maze – and this year it’s a fitting tribute to the NHS with a new design and a secret message hidden within the maze itself. Launched on July 18, the giant 5-acre Maize Maze is now open seven days a week