19 May 2020
While COVID-19 is having a drastic impact on UK tourism, there is still some positive news to be found. We’ll do our best to keep you updated, via various means, on some of the best examples of how tourism businesses in the destinations we represent are rising to the challenge.
#newsin30seconds
Dickens anniversary: where it all began
Universally recognised as one of the truly great Victorian writers, Charles Dickens created stories which have helped to reveal a vivid picture for us all, of life in early Victorian England. So, it is fitting that in the 150th anniversary of Dickens’ death, on June 9, 1870, Hampshire is once again associated as having a major connection with the author. https://markhibbert.co.uk/clients-groups/dickens-anniversary-where-it-all-began/
Tuck into an online feast
Missing your favourite restaurant, gastropub or café? Many eateries – and leading chefs – are taking their offer online with a whole host of top tips, recipes and ‘how to’ videos springing up on websites and social media channels. So, pop on your chef’s hat and cook-up a treat, and enjoy a little taste of your favourite dining spot in your own home. Think of it as a tasty appetiser until you can visit again…
Innovative distillery offers an online whisky tasting each week
White Peak Distillery, based in Ambergate, near Derby, has launched a 6-week series of Zoom-based Thursday night whisky tasting events. The focus for these is single malt, with a tasting pack sent-out to all participants. Each tasting session will be held on a Thursday evening, at 8.15pm. Scheduled to last for one hour, the cost is £22 per person, which includes the tasting pack.
“Creativity can’t be closed”
Hull Truck Theatre has announced its next wave of creative and entertainment projects, as part of ‘Hull Truck at Home’. Working with its talented community of artists, the theatre will be offering a programme of high-quality drama to be streamed online, as well as a competition opportunity for budding or emerging playwrights. Full details at
Remarkable accommodation – twice over
Broadgate Farm Cottages, set in the Yorkshire Wolds just two miles from the market town of Beverley, is celebrating after picking-up not one, but two awards at the recent Visit Hull and East Yorkshire Remarkable East Yorkshire Tourism Awards. Converted from charming period farm buildings, the 5* Gold self-catering cottages, with eco-friendly central heating, won Remarkable Self-Catering and the Accessible and Inclusive Tourism awards
VisitVirtualStoke
VisitStoke is looking forward to once again welcoming visitors to the “world capital of ceramics” once everyone is able to travel again. While it’s not possible to visit the museums and attractions of The Potteries just now, the local tourism team has transformed itself into VisitVirtualStoke – by bringing you different ways of exploring the city from your armchair. A new web page is dedicated to ways of exploring some fascinating objects in its museums, taking a virtual walk through galleries, watching videos, or taking part in home activities.
Ten things you never knew about…Hampshire
A round-up of ten, ten fascinating facts about Hampshire, featuring the world’s first ecologist, the football club that has the record for holding the title of FA Cup winners for the longest time, the legend of King Arthur, the birthplace of cricket…and Sweet FA!