NEWS
CHILDREN’ S HOSPICE BENEFITS FROM £ 11,000 DONATION
A children’ s hospice in Sittingbourne has received an £ 11,000 boost from a local housebuilder’ s fundraising efforts. Bellway’ s Kent division raised the money for Demelza Hospice by holding a golf day for Bellway staff, contractors and suppliers at East Sussex National Golf Club in Uckfield, and one member of staff went the extra mile by completing Weymouth Half Iron Man for the cause.
Around 80 budding golfers put their skills to the test over 18 holes and raised over £ 22,000, which was then split between Demelza Hospice and Cancer Research UK.
Claire Ellis-Waghorn, head of fundraising for Demelza, said:“ Without the support of incredible business partners and the individuals who work for those businesses, we really couldn’ t continue to provide the care and support that we do to so many families with extremely ill children. Thank you Bellway Kent – we are really proud to be partnered with you.”
Demelza is a charity which provides specialist facilities for children and young people who have life-threatening or life-limiting conditions throughout the South East. The charity also offers support and care for family and friends, and Bellway Kent has already taken part in a number of charity events this year to help the charity.
SOUTH EAST WINS FUNDING TO DELIVER INNOVATIVE CULTURAL TOURISM PROJECT
A £ 1.3million project to create a new cultural tourist trail and arts‘ treasure hunt’ along the South East coast has been given the green light, it was announced in October.
‘ Culture Coasting’ will bring together organisations across the South East to significantly grow the visitor economy for the region, targeting key international markets with a completely reimagined take on a traditional tourist trail. It will combine original artworks created by internationally renowned artists, geocaching technology and bookable itineraries along the South East’ s spectacular coastline. Building on the South East’ s growing reputation for its world-class cultural offer, the project will bring new visitors to the region.
Visit Kent and Turner Contemporary have been awarded funding from VisitEngland’ s coveted Discover England Fund( DEF) and Arts Council England respectively to launch the project, in partnership with several leading arts venues in the region.
Director of Turner Contemporary Victoria Pomery OBE said:“ We’ re delighted to have secured Culture Destinations funding to deliver Culture Coasting. By truly putting arts and culture at the core of the project, we aim to create a unique, cohesive visitor offer which celebrates our distinctive coastline and significantly grows the visitor economy for the region.
This ambitious project will create an experiential trail, relevant to key markets, through digital technologies and partnerships across the South East.”
The trail route will include Southend- On-Sea, Whitstable, Margate, Folkestone, Hastings, Bexhill and Eastbourne, showcasing some of the most dramatic coastal scenery and creating an immersive cultural and thoughtprovoking experience for all.
The £ 40million Discover England Fund( DEF) was launched in 2016 to ensure that England stays competitive in the rapidly growing tourism industry, with funds spread over three years. Last year, Visit Kent successfully submitted a bid for the Year One( 2016 / 17) funding pot and was awarded £ 240,000 for its Gardens & Gourmet project, in partnership with four other destinations.
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