We represent some great UK destinations, providing weekly travel news updates, monthly newsletters and images, as well as facilitating media visits.
Current clients include: Hull, a UK City of Culture, now promoting itself as Yorkshire’s Maritime City; East Yorkshire with its dramatic coastline, market towns and wide open Wolds; Derby, a part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a Real Ale Capital of Britain and now home to the Museum of Making; Staffordshire, a county of contrasts, ranging from the rugged Peak District, and its famous theme parks, to The National Memorial Arboretum; Hampshire, with its award winning vineyards, historic dockyards, and Jane Austen Country; Stoke-on-Trent, a world capital of ceramics affectionately dubbed “The Potteries”, and home to the V&A Wedgwood Collection and the Staffordshire Hoard; and Lincolnshire, with its iconic Lincoln Cathedral, historic Stamford, bustling family resorts and natural coastline.
Our top stories for 2022…
The raising of The Mary Rose, 40 years on…
While The Mary Rose spent more than four centuries on the seabed, after sinking in 1545 defending England from invasion, 2022 marks 40 years since Henry VIII’s warship returned to the surface. Millions watched BBC TV’s live broadcast of her being raised from the Solent on 11 October 1982. Since then, the Mary Rose remains have been on display within Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. A new immersive experience, ‘Experience 1545 – When their world ended’, opened in summer 2021.
Colourful starring role for Stoke-on-Trent and The Potteries…
Often called the ‘world capital of ceramics’, Stoke-on-Trent and The Potteries is set for stardom thanks to a new movie about one of the world’s most influential ceramic artists. Sky Original movie, The Colour Room, based on the rise to fame of one of city’s most famous residents, Clarice Cliff, was partly filmed on location in Stoke-on-Trent and North Staffordshire, and is scheduled for release on 12 November 2021, starring Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton).
A cultural tale of two cities
Two client cities are celebrating after making it through to the longlist of places in the running to be UK City of Culture 2025. From a record entry of 20 areas aiming for the prestigious title, Derby () and Southampton () were among the eight successful bids unveiled by Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries in October. The winner will be revealed in early 2022.
Where Tutankhamun meets Downton Abbey…
They may seem a world apart, but Hampshire’s Highclere Castle can link both in a double celebration for 2022. As the real-life location for worldwide hit Downtown Abbey, it’s ‘Take Two’ for Highclere as the eagerly awaited movie sequel, filmed at the castle in 2021, hits cinema screens in March 2022 (). 2022, meanwhile, sees the centenary of Tutankhamun’s discovery, and Highclere will be marking its links to that milestone moment. The Castle’s 5th Earl of Carnarvon discovered the Tomb of the Egyptian Boy Pharaoh in November 1922, along with Howard Carter. The castle’s Egyptian Exhibition reveals more ().
Walk this way… celebrating 40 years of The Yorkshire Wolds Way
Fresh from news that the Yorkshire Wolds could soon become one of Britain’s newest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), 2022 will mark 40 years since the Yorkshire Wolds Way National Trail officially opened, on 2 October 1982. The 79-mile walking route, through the picturesque chalk landscape of the Yorkshire Wolds, stretches from the Humber estuary to the dramatic headland of Filey Brigg. Plans to mark the milestone include a guide to ‘40 things to do for the 40th anniversary’ from Visit East Yorkshire.
Howzat? 250 and not out…
Cricket fans will be bowled over by sporting history in Hampshire during 2022, a county widely known as “the cradle of cricket”, thanks to Hambledon Cricket Club. Founded in the 1750s it became one of England’s most powerful clubs and helped to develop many of the game’s early rules. Matches were played on Broadhalfpenny Down, still used today, while The Bat and Ball pub – Hambledon’s clubhouse – now draws cricket fans from across the world to see historic memorabilia. Summer 2022 marks the 250th anniversary of the first recognised First-Class cricket match, played at Broadhalfpenny Down 24-25 June 1772, between a Hambledon XI and an All England XI.
Looking back and looking forward as Derby bids to become the UK City of Culture
Fresh from its success in being longlisted for the UK’s City of Culture 2025, Derby is set to roll out a host of new visitor experiences in 2022. As part of its recovery plans to breathe new life into the city centre, Derby’s streets are set to come alive with colourful new canopies and its buildings light up with ‘son et lumière’ projections, while street graffiti projects will add an urban edge to the city’s regeneration
Time to mark 100 years of Hull’s historic time ball
A historic reminder of Hull’s rich maritime heritage will be fully revealed back in its coveted position on Hull’s skyline for a centenary celebration in 2022. The city’s restored Guildhall Greenwich Time Ball – among the last to be built in the UK and one of only a handful remaining nationally – will be brought back into full working order in spring 2022, marking 100 years since the ball last dropped. Part of Hull’s ambitious multi-million-pound project, Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City, revitalising the city’s rich seafaring heritage attractions, the restoration included covering the ball in gold leaf.
New event to celebrate the ‘Great Outdoors’ in Lincolnshire
A new Lincolnshire Wolds Outdoor Festival is set to launch in spring 2022. Celebrating the great outdoors, it will take place across a host of locations (30 April to 5 June 2022) showcasing everything the Lincolnshire Wolds has to offer. Originally planned for May 2021, the inaugural event was postponed because of Covid restrictions. As well as featuring traditional outdoor pursuits such as walking, cycling and horse riding, it will now include more activities, from fishing to yoga, and golf to water sports. https://bit.ly/3sJ44aX
Boost for Staffordshire as a base for cross-country mountain biking
For those who love mountain biking, all eyes will be on Staffordshire when England’s smallest mainland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) hosts the Commonwealth Games racing events in August 2022. Cannock Chase offers world-class mountain biking, with cross-country courses like ‘Follow the Dog’ and ‘The Monkey Trail’, which have helped secure the races as part of the Birmingham Games. New forest trails for 2022, along with a new bike play facility and a regional centre of excellence to promote safe, off-road biking, will also leave a lasting cycling legacy for Staffordshire.
Lincoln Cathedral celebrates visionary 950th anniversary
Construction began on what is now regarded as one of Europe’s finest gothic buildings in 1072 when William the Conqueror commissioned the first Bishop of Lincoln to lay the foundations for Lincoln Cathedral, once the tallest building in the world. And in August 2022, Lincoln Cathedral Flower Festival returns with the theme of ‘Vision’ to celebrate that 950th anniversary, while a new visitor centre is also expected to open in 2022 showcasing some of the Cathedral many treasures. https://bit.ly/3BdUmju
Stoke-on-Trent celebrates its “Sisters of Ceramics”
For Stoke-on-Trent, 2022 marks not only the 50th anniversary of the death of Clarice Cliff, one of the world’s most influential ceramic artists, but also two other major anniversaries for the city’s “Sisters of Ceramics”: 120 years since the birth of Susie Cooper; and 75 years since the death of Charlotte Rhead, both hugely influential in the world of ceramics and pioneers of their day.
Colourful new trail will make 2022 the ‘Year of the Puffin’ in East Yorkshire
A trail of 40 colourful giant puffin sculptures is set to celebrate East Yorkshire’s role as a ‘puffin paradise’, thanks to its dramatic cliffside breeding sites. The Flamborough Headland, and the towering Bempton Cliffs Nature Reserve, is one of the best places in the UK to see puffins from land – and already a major draw for visitors during the breeding season. Now visitors will be able to celebrate one of the world’s favourite birds on a new public art trail, ‘Puffins Galore!’, due to launch May 2022. https://bit.ly/3wrrNOT
A Great British Summer will offer food for thought in Lincoln
A feast of festivals is set to bring a bumper British summer to Lincoln Castle in 2022, including a new event celebrating the best of Lincolnshire food and drink. As part of a summer of festivals throughout June, July and August, the new event will also feature a craft beer tent. The festival season launches with the Great British Outdoor Picnic, over the Queen’s Jubilee Bank Holiday weekend in June, and ends in August with the return of the quirky Steampunk Festival, the world’s biggest Steampunk festival. https://bit.ly/2YOVFs8
Starting next year: a chance to cruise through a UK World Heritage Site
After delays caused by the pandemic, Derby and Sandiacre Canal Trust’s plans to bring boat trips to the River Derwent in Derby finally look set to launch in 2022. The fully accessible, electrically powered leisure cruiser will offer scenic tours along the River Derwent from the city to Darley Abbey Mills. Stretching 15 miles along the river valley from Derby to Matlock Bath, the World Heritage Site contains a fascinating series of historic mill complexes, with one of the site’s most significant buildings being The Silk Mill, now home to the Museum of Making, which opened last year. https://bit.ly/3vnNVcm
Top visitor attraction serves up stylish new treats on a plate
Top visitor attraction World of Wedgwood, at Barlaston, Stoke-on-Trent, already has a world class reputation for showcasing the very best of British industrial and design heritage. But for 2022, it offers even more. A combination of classic British ceramic design, and the passion of a celebrity chef, has created a new modern dining concept, Lunar, overseen by Staffordshire born Chef, Niall Keating, one of a handful of chefs in the UK to currently hold two Michelin stars and BBC’s Great British Menu Champion of 2020. Due to open in November 2021, the new restaurant is the latest new development at World of Wedgwood, home to the iconic Wedgwood Tea Room, Wedgwood Factory and Wedgwood flagship store, as well as The V&A Wedgwood Collection.
Follow the Bursledon brick road to mark a 125th anniversary in 2022
Hampshire’s Brickworks Museum, the last remaining Victorian steam driven brickworks in the country, is set to mark 125 years since it first produced bricks. The Museum, near Southampton, tells the story of brick making from 1897, when Bursledon Brickworks was founded, to its closure in 1974. At the heart of the museum is the original brick making machinery and steam engine. As well as the authentic sights, sounds and smells of the steam-driven Victorian brickworks – and a collection of bricks and chimney pots – visitors can also have a go at making their own brick.
Lincoln Sausage Festival back with a banger in 2022
Each October the Lincoln Sausage Festival celebrates the county’s most iconic export – with visitors tucking into more than 30,000 individual sausages on the day. While the 2020 festival took place virtually, and the 2021 event was cancelled, organisers have promised they will be back with a ‘banger’ of an event in 2022. Usually held at Lincoln Castle, and with a picturesque setting of cobbled streets and a dramatic castle, it’s no surprise that the festival is one of the region’s top foodie events. https://bit.ly/3BjF4tm
More fizz for Hampshire vineyard…
One of England’s top wine producers, Hambledon Vineyard, is the only gravity-fed, state-of-the-art winery in the UK. After delays caused by the pandemic, plans to open a new tasting room and visitor centre are set to come to fruition in 2022. The new build will create extended wine storage capacity in an underground cellar, with the new visitor centre and tasting room located above – overlooking the vineyards nestled on the edge of the South Downs. https://bit.ly/385waoz
…and beyond
Bridging the centuries: ‘sea’ the change in Hull
A £30.2m, four-year project underway to help transform Hull into a world-class ‘Maritime City’ destination. Making Hull’s 800 years of seafaring history even more of a key part of the city’s tourism offer, the ‘Hull: Yorkshire’s Maritime City’ project will ultimately create a new route to guide visitors through the city to the River Hull, highlighting its outstanding maritime heritage. New and refurbished visitor centres and facilities are set to re-open from summer 2023, with the new-look Hull Maritime Museum opening in 2024. http://bit.ly/2ILXmvd
Guests will be able to stay in Another Place in 2023
The team behind Watergate Bay Hotel in Cornwall and Another Place in the Lake District is now developing its latest hotel. Amport House, near Andover, will become the brand’s second Another Place hotel, offering 50 bedrooms, two restaurants and bars. Another Place, The Garden is scheduled for development from 2021, with an ambition to open in early 2023
New art gallery for Lincolnshire hidden gem
Home of the de Eresby family since 1516, Lincolnshire’s Grimsthorpe Castle is on course to open a new café and shop in 2022 and new art gallery in 2023. The multi-million-pound public gallery, described as an exceptional new building of a contemporary design, will house Lady Willoughby de Eresby’s personal collection of artworks, while the Old Stables will become the new cafe. The gallery building will also include innovative environmental measures to reduce energy consumption. https://bit.ly/32OMLu6
Anniversary plans for 2025 in Jane Austen’s Hampshire
One of Hampshire’s best loved daughters, Jane Austen, has been a household name for more than two centuries, but Hampshire is now planning extra celebrations to mark the 250th anniversary of her birth in 2025. She was born on 16 December 1775 in the Old Rectory in Seventon which, sadly, no longer exists, but the county has plenty more to tempt Austen fans, including Jane Austen’s House Museum, in Chawton, where she wrote and revised six of her most famous novels. http://bit.ly/38IRdeq
