Monthly Archives: March 2014

Tour of Britain comes to Bath!

Tour of Britain comes to Bath!

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 Bath will be attracting tourists of a different kind later this year when it will play host to The Tour of Britain cycle race this September, for the first time in the modern event’s 11-year history.

Bradley Wiggins on the winner's podium after stage 8 of the 2013 Tour of Britain.

Bradley Wiggins on the winner’s podium after stage 8 of the 2013 Tour of Britain.

The Tour of Britain is teaming up with Bath & North East Somerset Council for Stage Six of the race (on Friday 12th September) which will set off from the Royal Avenue in Royal Victoria Park before completing a lap through the City to showcase many of Bath’s beautiful and historic sites to the worldwide audience.

Stage Six will then head east from the city, out of Bath and North East Somerset, skirting Salisbury Plain on its way to the Chilterns and the stage finish in Hemel Hempstead.

Councillor David Dixon, Bath & North East Somerset Council’s Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, said: “We are honoured to be hosting a start stage here in Bath, which I’m sure many will agree is the most beautiful backdrop to showcase such a prestigious event. I know that our communities will be 100% on board in welcoming the riders, teams and spectators to the City which starts a weekend of cycling activities and events across the whole area, building upon the Council’s aspirations for ensuring our communities are fit for life, our commitment to the delivery of first class facilities for sport and recreation; which in turn supports our thriving economy.”

The race will see 18 of the world’s top professional cycling teams, including the likes of Team Sky, who won the 2013 Tour with Sir Bradley Wiggins, arriving in Bath, for the race, which is televised live in the UK on ITV4 as well as globally.

“Bringing The Tour of Britain to Bath will be a first for the modern era of the race and one that we are very much looking forward to,” said Race Director Mick Bennett.

“Bath is a world famous visitor destination around the world, so in the first year that The Tour of Britain has achieved the upgraded HC status it is fitting to be starting a stage there.”

The City of Bath has been designated a World Heritage site thanks to its beautiful architecture, iconic sights and fascinating history. The City’s scenic locations have long proved to be a huge draw for millions of visiting amateur photographers as well as international film crews keen to make the most of this unique setting. For up to date information on the Bath stage of the Tour of Britain visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/tourofbritain.

The 2014 Tour of Britain will begin in Liverpool on Sunday 7th September, finishing eight days later in central London with a double-header final day, featuring an individual time trial and circuit race finishing on Whitehall.

More information on the 2014 Tour of Britain can be found at www.thetour.co.uk

 

We are Bath!

We are Bath!

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A group of BA (Hons) Media Communications students from Bath Spa University are inviting members of the public to share their stories, memories and experiences of Bath as part of an online sharing experience.

The 'We are Bath' Team.

The ‘We are Bath’ Team.

We are Bath is an online platform and interactive map that will create a collage of the community’s memories.

Residents are invited to submit their story in 200 words or less, attach a picture and answer these three simple questions:

1. Where is your favourite place in Bath?
2. Why is that your favourite place?
3. What memories does it hold for you?

Once a submission has been uploaded it will join other memories to form an online interactive map which visitors to the website can browse and share.

Explaining where the idea came from, third year BA (Hons) Media Communications student, Laura Davies said: “We were inspired by the existing community media projects that are currently out there and wanted to create something that would tell the story of the residents of Bath, in a visually exciting and interactive way.”

The website is now open and can be accessed at http://wearebath.wix.com/wearebath. The closing date for submissions is Monday 15 May.

The project and its contents will be showcased later this year at the Museum of Bath at Work.

A video featuring the creators of We are Bath as well as various contributions from residents in Bath, can be viewed at https://www.dropbox.com/s/ynihezlekh8viu2/We%20Are%20Bath.mp4

More information is also available via the project’s Twitter account – https://twitter.com/WeAreBath2014 and Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/WeAreBath

Name that building! Keynsham residents to shape history.

Name that building! Keynsham residents to shape history.

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Local people are being invited to shape history and have their say about what names Bath & North East Somerset Council should consider for the new buildings that are part of Keynsham town centre’s regeneration.

keynshamThe £34 million regeneration site is due to open by Autumn 2014 and the Council wants to involve Keynsham residents in shortlisting possible names for buildings. No decisions have been taken on whether the whole site should have a name or whether individual names should be adopted for the different facilities, like the Library and One Stop Shop.

Councillor David Bellotti (Lib-Dem, Lyncombe), Cabinet Member for Community Resources, said, “This is a chance for Keynsham residents to shape history and have their say on a major decision that Bath & North East Somerset Council must make. We want to get as many ideas as possible from the community and select the one from a shortlist which best represents what people want.

“I’d like to welcome the comments we’ve had so far about the possibilities for names and these will be included as part of this exercise. The selection process will create sense of excitement in the Keynsham community about the completion of this project and the fact we are just months away from opening.”

How to get involved today

People can submit their views on whether there should be:

a) A single name for the overall site, including the retail units, library/ one stop shop and Council offices;
Or

b) Names for individual buildings, such as for the library/ one stop shop;
And

c) What those name/s should be.
There are a variety of ways in which people can contribute.

Via online consultation from Friday 4 April 2014 at http://www.bathnes.gov.uk/keynshamregen

Emailing the Council via regen_keynsham@bathnes.gov.uk

Writing to the Council at – Keynsham Civic building name, Floor 1 Guildhall, High Street, Bath, BA1 5AW

Keynsham schools will be written to inviting Head Teacher’s to ask their pupils what name they would give the new building.

People have until Tuesday 22 April 2014 to submit their ideas.

 

Foxhill Exhibition

Foxhill Exhibition

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foxhillThe first exhibition of master plan proposals for the former MOD site at Foxhill is going to be on Friday and Saturday – April 11th and 12th – at St Andrew’s Community Church in Hawthorn Grove, Combe Down, Bath BA2 5QA.

The times of opening are 12 noon to 7pm on the Friday and 10am to 4pm on the Saturday.

Curo – who are the developers of what is known as the Foxhill Regeneration – will be showing their ‘vision to create new homes, facilities and open spaces for the whole community.’

You are invited to come along and view the plans and give your feedback. Members of the Curo project team will be available to answer questions.

If you are not able to go along to the public exhibition, Curo say the proposals will be online from April 14th  at www.foxhillregeneration.co.uk

 

 

A welcome charge in Bath!

A welcome charge in Bath!

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© wikipedia

© wikipedia

Electric vehicle owners can take their pick of places to charge their car for free when visiting Bath, thanks to an initiative by Bath & North East Somerset Council. Charlotte Street, Odd Down Park & Ride and Lansdown Park & Ride each have four allocated parking spaces, which benefit from access to a 32amp/7kw ‘fast’ charge sockets, allowing a full recharge from flat in under 4 hours.

Councillor Caroline Roberts (Lib-Dem, Newbridge), Cabinet Member for Transport, said, “Electric cars are much more environmentally friendly than fossil fuel based vehicles, so Bath & North East Somerset Council is pleased to be supporting the use of them through electric charging points. This is a definite bonus for air quality and we hope people will make the best possible use of them.”

The Council has committed to provide the electricity for free until at least April 2015. Normal parking tariffs will apply. Registration onto the scheme is free for the first 200 users. Any further users will need to pay £50 to join. Registered users can already view a map of available charging points, and will soon be able to reserve a charge point from their smart phone.

The charge points were paid for by the Local Sustainable Transport Fund – a government grant for a package of measures aimed at improving transport. It is hoped the charge points will encourage electric vehicle use, lower emissions and improve air quality in Bath and North East Somerset’s three Air Quality Management Areas (Bath, Saltford and Keynsham).

A new website has been launched promoting the Source West network, www.sourcewest.info , mapping all of the publicly available charge points as well as providing all you need to know about electric vehicles. A smartphone app is also available for users to reserve the points.

The Source West brand (covering Bath and North East Somerset, Bristol, South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire) extends the existing Source brands (including Source London and Source East) adding to the network of charging points and enabling registered users to charge their car at any of the charge points on the national charge point registry, using a single smart card.

Charging around the UK

To demonstrate the extent of electric vehicle charging now available across the country, charge-station manufacturer POD Point will be driving an electric vehicle 2,000 miles around the country this summer. Bath will be one of the featured stops on the long-distance journey, with the car recharging in Charlotte Street before continuing on its national tour.

Royal Visitor at the Crescent!

Royal Visitor at the Crescent!

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Bath Preservation Trust is to host His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO at No. 1 Royal Crescent on the afternoon of Tuesday 22 April.

HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO

HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO

HRH The Duke of Gloucester, who trained as an architect and retains a strong interest in architecture and conservation, will visit No. 1 Royal Crescent to observe the changes resulting from the restoration project which completed in June last year.

In unifying the main house with its original service wing next door the historic townhouse museum has doubled its number of dressed rooms and spaces on display, revealing more of what life was like for those living here in the late 18th Century – both above and below stairs.

The house will remain open to the public during his visit which falls on Easter Tuesday and is expected to be busy.

Bath Preservation Trust’s Chairman, Edward Bayntun-Coward, says:

“We will be delighted to welcome HRH The Duke of Gloucester to No. 1 Royal Crescent to see the fine restoration and authentic interiors. We will also be showing him our current exhibition ‘Saving Bath’ which celebrates the 80th anniversary of Bath Preservation Trust and its tireless work to conserve buildings and spaces in Bath and the surrounding area”.

Bath Preservation Trust's "Georgian House" at Number 1 Royal Crescent.

Bath Preservation Trust’s “Georgian House” at Number 1 Royal Crescent.

This is a return visit to Bath Preservation Trust for HRH The Duke of Gloucester; he visited the Building of Bath Collection in 2008.

Built in the latter half of the 18th century, No. 1 Royal Crescent and its service wing were first home to Henry Sandford, a former Irish MP.

Sold off as a separate residence in the 1960s, the service wing was purchased in 2006 by local businessman Andrew Brownsword whose family trust was a major supporter of the £5 million renovation project, alongside the Heritage Lottery Fund and other generous donators.

In reconnecting the two the house has been restored to its original Georgian splendour.

 

Easter fun @ Museum of Bath @ Work

Easter fun @ Museum of Bath @ Work

Posted on by • Posted in The Gallery

Following the success of their drawing activities during last half term, Object Art artists Steph Bengry-Howell and Tracey Page, will be back at the Museum of Bath at Work for four days over the Easter holiday.

Museum Bath at WorkVisitors really enjoyed the activities in February and this is some of the feedback received: “The girls had a fantastic time …we could have stayed all day! Thank you!”,

“Brought back many enjoyable memories of my childhood…hope to revisit to see the finished whole”, “It was really fun, when it will be finished it will look amazing”.

Come along to the Museum on Julian Road, and make your contribution to a collaborative drawing, using cogs. The artists Stephanie Bengry-Howell and Tracey Page, Bath School of Art alumni, having successfully obtained funding from the Arts Council to run their project ‘Industri us’ have been in residence at the Museum since January.Museum Bath at Work

They have been exploring the archive and exhibits making artworks in response and responding to visitors’ contributions.

The artists are running drawing activities again between 10.30-12.30, and 1.30-3.30 on April 10th, 12th, 15th and 16th. You do not have to book to attend these free activities, just drop in. You can also explore the museum during these times for the normal admission fee.

Work produced by the artists and workshop participants will go on display at the Museum from May to coincide with the Fringe Arts Bath festival. For more information, contact the Museum on 01225 318348.