Lagan Construction today starts road resurfacing works around St Mary’s. The scope of works entails planing the existing roads to permit the new surfacing to fit with the existing kerbs and manhole covers and other “ironwork”.
Details of the schedule and how it is to be carried out can be found here:
This year’s official tourism awards for the South West are now open – and businesses are invited to enter by the deadline of midnight on 29th June. Businesses from the Isles of Scilly submitting applications will be entered into the Cornwall Tourism Awards which then feed into the SouthWest Tourism Excellence Awards.
Fresh from the region’s outstanding success in this year’s national VisitEngland awards, when South West businesses picked up 15 national awards, including 4 top Gold awards, the 2014/15 cycle has now re-started and tourism businesses across the region are invited to enter this year’s tourism awards.
The Awards cover the whole South West, including Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Bath, Bristol and the Isles of Scilly, along with the linked awards programmes in Devon, Dorset and Cornwall & the Isles of Scilly.
This year sees many changes to the programme. In Cornwall (including Scilly) and Devon, there are new categories for Dog Friendly Accommodation and Access for All, there is a new Attraction split in the Cornwall awards, a new Tourism Entrepreneur category in the Dorset awards and the Holiday Park sector sees new categories in both Devon and Cornwall. The South West awards continues to link with these as well as welcome direct entries from Somerset, Wiltshire, Bath, Bristol and Gloucestershire.
Another development this year is the inclusion on the Awards websites of new case studies from recent finalists, each of them sharing their top tips on why businesses should enter and how to win.
For further information, www.southwesttourismawards.org.uk. If any member of the IP would like to discuss a possible submission, please do contact us.
The Islands’ Tourism and Business Partnership is hosting a brief visit to the Isles of Scilly by VisitEngland Chief Executive, James Berresford and VisitCornwall’s Chief Executive, Malcolm Bell. They arrive this afternoon from Lands’ End for an intensive one and a half-day trip to visit as much of the archipelago as they can.
On arrival, Mr Berresford and Mr Bell will be greeted by IP’s Tourism Coordinator Amanda Pender and Theo Leijser, Chief Executive of the Council of the Isles of Scilly for a meeting and afternoon tea on the battlements at the Star Castle. They will then head off to St Agnes to meet with local businesses and to explore the island prior to dinner at the Turks Head with various representatives from the Council and the Islands’ Partnership and returning to St Mary’s on the Supper Boat.
Tomorrow, Mr Berresford and Mr Bell will visit St. Martin’s where they will be given an island tour by Churchtown Farm’s Zoe Julian and an opportunity to discuss the challenges of running island businesses. Their whirlwind islands’ tour will conclude on Tresco where they will be hosted for lunch by Robert Dorrien-Smith before enjoying an island tour from IP Director and Tresco marketing lead, Alasdair Moore.
“We are delighted to be hosting James and Malcolm for their short time on the Isles of Scilly,” says Amanda Pender, IP Coordinator. “Both the Council of the Isles of Scilly and the Islands’ Partnership have worked hard in recent months to foster closer ties with VisitEgland and VisitCornwall, and this is another step on our journey to raise Scilly’s profile as an outstanding English holiday destination.”e as an outstanding English holiday destination.”
Once again, people of, and visitors to, Scilly will be getting creative next week as Art Scilly Week 2014 gets underway. The line up this year is once again varied and far reaching in content – designed to appeal to broad artistic fan base.
Art Scilly Week takes place Saturday 10th to Saturday 17th May and will offer courses in everything from beaded jewellery, photography and silk scarf painting to soft pastels, driftwood sculptures, linocut-printing, fused glass and watercolours.
The week kicks off with a craft show at the Town Hall on Saturday 10th May. Then there are lots of wonderful courses to choose to do from Sunday, and on the final evening, there’ll be a special celebration with spectacular wicker “Starfish Skies” (made during one of the workshops) and a fire show on Porthcressa Beach.
“The Isles of Scilly is a hot-bed of artistic talent and creativity, and we are delighted that Art Scilly Week will once again offer so many wonderful courses,” says Art Scilly Week organiser and owner of Phoenix Craft Workshops, Oriel Hicks. “Whether you’re an accomplished amateur, or someone simply wanting to have a go, there’s something for everyone.”
For more information and to book, go to www.artscillyweek.co.uk .
Entries are still being taken for the Taste of the West Awards 2014 in the Hospitality and Retail categories until 1st July.
Taste of the West is a membership organisation for food and drink producers, distributors, restaurants, cafes, pubs, hotels, farm shops and speciality retailers in the South West – all passionate about the provenance and quality of the products they make, serve or sell. It is the largest independent regional food group in the UK which seeks to promote and support fantastic local food and drink.
If you are a member of Taste of the West, you can enter free in one of the following categories. Additional entries cost £80+VAT
HOSPITALITY CATEGORIES – Cafe/Tea Room, Dining Pub, Restaurant, Casual Diner, Bed & Breakfast
RETAIL CATEGORIES – Specialist Retailer / Deli, Farm Shop, Butchers’ Shop, Village Shop, Online Retailer, Local Food to Go (including outside caterers, street food, takeaway), Farmers’ Market
You will find all the details on the Taste of the West website.
