NEWS
TOURISM MINISTER CELEBRATES WINE TOURISM IN KENT DURING ENGLISH WINE WEEK
Tourism Minister, Michael Ellis MP travelled to Kent to celebrate English Wine Week and hear about The Garden of England’ s thriving food and drink tourism industry.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport paid a visit to leading vineyard, Chapel Down Winery in Tenterden during English Wine Week to hear about new projects to boost wine tourism and England’ s food and drink offer to domestic and international markets.
Mr. Ellis was welcomed by Visit Kent CEO, Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE and Chapel Down CEO, Frazer Thompson at the vineyard in the heart of the Kentish countryside and was taken on a tour of the working winery and the vines. The minister also met representatives from other leading Kent vineyards, including Charles Simpson of Simpsons Wine Estate and James Osborn of Squerryes, as well as VisitEngland director Andrew Stokes.
" English Wine Week is about championing British produce and helping to position our growing wine industry as a new tourist attraction,” said Ellis.“ Through our Discover England Fund, we are supporting the Garden of England to increase international visitors to the region and raise awareness of Kent ' s incredible vineyards."
Frazer Thompson, Sandra Matthews-Marsh MBE and Michael Ellis MP in the Chapel Down vineyard. © Manu Palomeque
‘ OUTSTANDING’ LEADERS AT DUKE OF YORK’ S ROYAL MILITARY SCHOOL
UNIQUE SINGER SARGENT PAINTING ACQUIRED FOR HISTORICAL HOME IGHTHAM MOTE
Leaders and managers at the Duke of York’ s Royal Military School have been ranked as‘ outstanding’ by Ofsted during a recent routine inspection of education, and boarding and welfare.
In a letter to the school’ s principal, Alex Foreman, inspectors said:“ Supported by a talented and enthusiastic group of
Alex Foreman senior and middle leaders, you have made highquality teaching and learning your key priority, raising teachers’ aspirations of what pupils can do and achieve.”
The school is set in 150 acres of countryside near Dover and is popular with military families, although it is open to all aged 11 to 18. It offers 24 / 7 facilities along with weekly boarding, so boarding and welfare is of paramount importance and inspectors rated safeguarding as‘ effective’.
Alex Foreman, who became the school’ s principal 18 months ago, said:“ It is very rewarding for inspectors to recognise the substantial work we have undertaken to uplift the school’ s culture and its approach to learning. We are well on the way to achieving further positive results and I’ d like to thank everyone at the school for embracing our vision for future success.”
A Game of Bowls, by American painter John Singer Sargent, has been acquired for the National Trust’ s Ightham Mote following a successful campaign to raise funds to purchase it for the nation.
The large-scale painting is a rare and original piece of Ightham Mote’ s history, capturing a unique view of the 14th-century moated manor house, still very much in evidence today.
A Game of Bowls depicts the house in 1889, with its American tenant at the time – Mary Lincoln‘ Queen’
Palmer and her daughter Elsie enjoying a game of bowls on the north lawn with their friends, including Singer Sargent’ s sister, Violet.
Formerly on loan to Ightham Mote, the painting became available for a private sale brokered by Sotheby’ s and the necessary funds were raised thanks to funding from the National Heritage Memorial Fund, who donated £ 175,000, and Art Fund, who donated £ 100,000. A further £ 75,000 was raised thanks to the generosity of visitors and supporters of Ightham Mote.
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