insideKENT Magazine Issue 82 - January 2019 | Page 126
NEWS
LEEDS CASTLE’S
FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS
STRIKES GOLD AT THE
BEAUTIFUL SOUTH
AWARDS
Leeds Castle celebrated a golden success at the Beautiful
South Awards in December when the Festival of Flowers
was named Tourism Event/Festival of the Year.
Run by Tourism South East in partnership with Services
for Tourism Ltd, the Beautiful South Awards recognise
outstanding achievement in the tourism industry over the
last 18 months.
The Festival of Flowers, which attracts over 16,000 people
in September time and sees the Castle decorated in lavish
floral displays across six consecutive days, was up against
Jazz on the Pantiles (Tunbridge Wells) and Airbourne
(Eastbourne) for the award.
Nigel Smith, Chief Executive of Tourism South East, said
the award winners “are truly world class. I was blown away
by the sheer quality of tourism businesses we have got
in the South East and how their numbers are increasing
every year.”
Alysha Sargent, Head of Events at Leeds Castle said: “We’re
so delighted to have been awarded Gold for Tourism
Event/Festival of the Year. A year’s worth of planning goes
into the Festival of Flowers, and each year it really does get
bigger and better than ever; so it’s a real accolade to be
recognised for such a prestigious award.”
TALENTED
ARTISTS
EXHIBIT AT
KINGS HILL
Colourful paintings and glass
sculptures by some of the South
East’s most talented artists are on
show in the latest exhibition in the
Control Tower at Kings Hill.
Among the exhibits is “The sky
outside me”, an atmospheric,
playful oil painting by Jemma Day,
whose work has recently been
featured in Tatler and House
& Garden.
Also on show are abstract
landscapes of the rolling hills of the
South Downs by Loraine Hays,
Cornish land and seascapes by
Andrew Palmer and paintings that
explore how artificial intelligence
can assist in the creative process by
Gabriel di Mauro.
THE SKY OUTSIDE ME BY JEMMA DAY
126
The exhibition is open Monday to
Friday between 9am and 5.30pm.
It closes at the end of January 2019
when a new exhibition will be
installed.