Media Release: Can you help people discover Leicester’s past?

Can you help people discover Leicester’s past?

 Are you a local history enthusiast? Could you use your knowledge to help other people learn more about our great city?

 Leicester City Council is looking for volunteers to lead guided walks around historic parts of the city.  The tours aim to help Leicester’s residents understand the city’s past, and the rich historical significance of buildings and monuments they walk past every day.

 “We’re looking for people with a passion for history who can bring the past to life for our city’s residents,” said Voluntary Action LeicesterShire’s Jim McCallum, who is helping recruit the volunteers. “Enthusiastic, knowledgeable volunteers can help people discover the past on their doorstep and make them see the city they live in from a fresh perspective.”

 

For more information come along to the Guildhall, Leicester on Saturday 12 November from 1.30pm to 2.30pm or call the Helpline at Voluntary Action LeicesterShire on 0116 257 5050.

 Ends

 

 

For media enquiries, or to arrange an interview, contact Daisy Powell at Voluntary Action LeicesterShire on 07814 052789

Louise Holland business owner leading the way for women entrepreneurs

Media release Issue Date: 11th July 2011

Louise Holland business owner leading the way for women entrepreneurs

Holland Alexander owner, Louise Holland has become one of a growing number of women owned businesses who have become accredited by WEConnect Europe, a pioneering enterprise initiative designed to connect women to multinational corporate contracts.

Launched in 2005, communications agency Holland Alexander operates two offices in Leicester and London. Managing Director, Louise Holland said “We Connect is a great platform to engage with other successful business owners in Europe.

This organisation is a direct route to securing new business, enhancing our profile and to expand our acquisition portfolio into 2012. We also look forward to making a valuable contribution to the group members with our communications expertise such as our digital marketing workshops.”

Other women-business owners are being urged to realise their growth aspirations by joining WEConnect Europe, an innovation in supply initiative, which will link them up with corporate and public sector contracts.

WEConnect Europe can boast leading multinational corporations as members, including; Citi, Hewlett Packard, Mastercard, Pfizer and Accenture.

Sue Lawton, CEO, WEConnect Europe says “Louise Holland is one of many women who want to take their business to the next level. WEConnect Europe exists to enable women to increase productivity and profitability by identifying contract opportunities. More and more companies recognise the commercial sense of having innovation and excellence in their supply chain which women owned businesses can provide and we are urging women business owners to capitalise on this”.

Women business owners wanting to find out more should visit: www.WEConnectEurope.org

 Ends/

Notes to Editors:

1.      Louise Holland. Managing Director at Holland Alexander. Contact 0116 2616868 or louise@hollandalexander.com

2.      Louise Holland owns and manages communications agency, Holland Alexander. Events management and events technical production, marketing, PR, and film production are the range of services the agency provides to public and private sector clients. Based in Leicester and London studios with collective 50 year experience, Holland Alexander has a strong media and professional business network.

Our strengths we bring to the client are expertise, creativity & all out commitment to deliver a great result.

www.hollandalexander.com

twitter @thegreateagle

3.      WEConnect Europe is the leading supplier diversity initiative spearheading the connection of women-owned business and multinational corporations www.WEConnectEurope.org

4.      A Women Business Enterprise (WBE) is an independent business that is at least 51% owned and controlled by one or more woman, once certified by WEConnect Europe, we can support businesses to access contracts with multinational organisations.

5.      WEConnect Europe is based on a successful US prototype: The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

6.      WEConnect Europe’s members and supporters include: including Pfizer, Accenture, Mastercard and Ernst & Young.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Four Winds Festival Media Release: Buy tickets online to Rutland spectacular to win hotel stay!

 

 Media release: Four Winds Festival 2011

9 June 2011 – for immediate use

 Buy tickets online to Rutland spectacular to win hotel stay!

 As the Four Winds Festival on 25th and 26th June at Rutland Water draws closer, organisers have announced a competition for online ticket buyers to win a two-night stay at the stunning 17th century Best Western Normanton Park Hotel.   

 The exclusive competition has been created for online advance ticket holders of the evening outdoor theatrical performance, “The Way The Winds Blow.”  All online advance ticket holders will automatically be entered to win the chance for two nights for two at the luxury hotel overlooking Rutland Water.  

 500 local and international artists, 100 boats and an 11 metre high Osprey puppet combine to tell the story of Rutland Water in The Way the Winds Blow which starts at 6.30pm. Hannah Gordon, the magical voice of The Way the Winds Blow will be randomly picking the competition winners for two sets of two night stays, courtesy of the Best Western Normanton Park Hotel after the evening performance of Sunday 26th June.

 Tickets online are selling well and organisers are urging prospect ticket buyers to secure their tickets in advance to see the performance on Rutland Water never before seen on such a grand scale. Tickets can be purchased now from www.fourwindsfestival.co.uk or www.wegottickets.com.

 Advance ticket holders will also be given priority into the audience area so guests can settle on the banks of the south shore as the atmosphere builds for the start of the performance. Gates open from 5.30pm.

 Chris Baldwin of Spiral Theatre is the show producer with Peter Davis, Head of Music at Oakham School as the musical director.

 Arts for Rutland, the organisation leading, promoting and supporting the arts in Rutland have joined forces with a number of supporters to bring the Four Winds Festival to the East Midlands.

 Prior to the evening shows on the banks of Rutland Water visitors can enjoy for free a range of family based activities at the Four Winds Festival. From 12noon to 4pm, workshops and hands-on experiences are on offer with puppet making, music and wind chime production, sailing opportunities and views of the Rutland Water osprey nests.

 The Four Winds Festival, incorporating The Way the Winds Blow is part of the Igniting Ambition Festival 2011, a Cultural Olympiad programme in the East Midlands and has attracted funding from Arts Council England, Legacy Trust UK and the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). MJE Productions are the lead sponsor. 

 Tickets for The Way the Winds Blow are on now sale priced at £5 for concessions, £10 for adults and a family ticket for five guests is £25 and available online at www.fourwindsfestival.co.uk.

 The latest festival news is also shared on the festival’s twitter account @4windsfestival.

 Notes to Editors:

For further information, images and interviews please contact Holland Alexander, the Four Winds Festival PR team on 0116 2616 6867 or email to louise@hollandalexander.com or claire@hollandalexander.com.

 .              Arts for Rutland

Arts for Rutland is a Registered Charity and is committed to leading, promoting and supporting the arts in Rutland.  It consists of a committee and representatives of many arts organisations and individuals as would like to be involved. 

The Arts include, film, theatre, music, comedy, dance, visual arts, creative writing and any other art form which the organisation recognises.  Arts for Rutland seek to promote the wealth of enterprise and activity in the county by whatever means possible.

 2.              Igniting Ambition as part of the Cultural Olympiad Programme

The Four Winds Festival is part of Igniting Ambition, a Cultural Olympiad programme in the East Midlands which invests in projects and people that take the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games as their inspiration to create once in a lifetime cultural opportunities for audiences and communities.

 Igniting Ambition is funded by Legacy Trust UK an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the European Regional Development Fund and the East Midlands Development Agency with the support of Arts Council England and many others.

 Legacy Trust UK is an independent charity set up to create a cultural and sporting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games across the UK and is also a principal funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival. The trust is funded by a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), the Department for Culture Media and Sport (£6m) and Arts Council England (£5m).

 Legacy Trust UK supports a wide range of innovative cultural and sporting activities that celebrate the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and will leave a lasting legacy in communities throughout the United Kingdom.

 Legacy Trust UK is a principal funder of the Cultural Olympiad and London 2012 Festival 2012. The Trust is funded by a £40 million endowment from the Big Lottery Fund (£29m), Department for Culture Media and Sport (£6m) and Arts Council England (£5m).

 3.              Anglian Water – Rutland Water Park, Festival location

Set in 4,200 acres of open countryside, the water park is the central attraction in England’s smallest county of Rutland and offers activities for all the family, including cycling, bird watching, fishing, sailing and other watersports.

 There is also a nature reserve managed with the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust. In the summer the reserve is home to several pairs of breeding ospreys. In 2001 it became the first place these magnificent birds of prey had successfully bred in England for 150 years.  

Work to expand and improve the nature reserve at Rutland is an example of Anglian Water’s commitment to the environment. This is reinforced by the company’s Love Every Drop manifesto, which includes commitments to cut carbon emissions and protect and enhance biodiversity.

4.  Chris Baldwin, Artistic Director and Playwright

Chris Baldwin (Artistic Director of Spiral www.spiraltheatre.co.uk) has written and directed 150 plays for theatres across Europe. He has also been guest director for theatre companies in England, Germany, Spain and Poland and gained an international reputation as a teacher of theatre practice.

 Chris is also a member of the European Working Group into the function and management of European Arts Festivals. He is a Professor of theatre direction at Rose Bruford College of Theatre and Performance in London.

 5. Peter Davis, Musical Director

Peter began his musical education as a chorister at Salisbury Cathedral returning as organ scholar in his gap year. He studied music at Cambridge University and as an organ scholar at St John’s College, and having graduated with a first-class music degree, he moved into the teaching profession. He became one of the youngest HMC Directors of Music at Haileybury in 2000, building up the school’s music until they won the BBC Songs of Praise title of School Choir of the Year in 2005. He moved to Oakham School as Director of Music in 2005, overseeing one of the largest school departments in the country.

 6. Best Western Normanton Park Hotel

Normanton Park Hotel offers a truly superb location, situated on the shores of Rutland Water, next to the world famous Normanton Church Museum. Rutland Water is Europe’s largest reservoir.

Normanton Park Hotel is the remains from the extensive manor and parkland created in the 1700’s by the Heathcote family. The Hotel Boasts excellent food, beautiful water view accommodation and attentive service. The perfect venue whatever the occasion, a weekend break, dinner for two or perfect wedding days.

Best Western Normanton Park Hotel: Rutland Water, South Shore, Rutland LE15 8RP.

Tel: 01780-720315 Fax: 01780-721086 Email: info@normantonpark.co.uk

ENDS

Serious About Dance! Deborah Baddoo and L’Antoniette Stines talk

Media release: 11th May 2011 

Let’s Dance Festival 2011
Serious About Dance! Deborah Baddoo and L’Antoniette Stines Talk – Phoenix Square, Leicester

Thursday 12 May, 6.00pm £10 / £8 

Let’s Dance presents Deborah Baddoo and L’Antoniette Stines in an intimate talk, discussing the changing face of dance and how contemporary dance has enabled them to move between different cultural spheres, drawing on their experiences and cultural heritage.

The talk will be hosted by David Bryan, with a Q&A session allowing the audiences to put their questions to the esteemed guests.

This debate is part of Let’s Dance: a week-long dance festival in Leicester that celebrates International Dance Day through performances, dance on films, master classes and debates. The festival takes place 12 – 20 May.

So, whether your passion for dance is being inspired by seeing some emerging new talent, or seeing some of the best of international work or enjoying dance on film, then please do come along and be part of Let’s Dance.

For more information, please telephone 0116 208 0435 or email info@serendipityartistsmovement.co.uk 

Out of hours please call 07971169662

— ends – 

 Notes for the Editor

 

Let’s Dance: a week-long dance festival in Leicester that celebrates International Dance Day through performances, dance on films, master classes and debates. The festival takes place between 12 – 20 May 2011.

The aim of the festival is to raise the profile of dance throughout Leicester by offering a range of performances by local, national and international artists that reflect the diversity of the city.

The programme aims to inspire through showcasing work by recent graduates, new dance companies and international artists. Let’s Dance will create a focal point for those who are interested in dance to experience other dance genres such as urban street, contemporary, ballet, etc. In addition, Let’s Dance on Film brings together four different genres of film that move from ballet to Bollywood, with some of the best dance sequences, documentaries and entertaining films from the world of cinema.

Let’s Dance will take place in four major venues across the city – Curve, Embrace Arts, PACE and Phoenix Square and is working with dance practitioners to create a visible presence for dance as an integral part of the cultural landscape of Leicester. Without these venues, the funding bodies and agencies such as Dance4, Foundation for Community Dance and Dance Development for Leicester, Leicestershire & Rutland this festival would not be possible.

So, whether your passion for dance is being inspired by seeing some emerging new talent, or seeing some of the best of international work or enjoying dance on film, then please do come along and be part of Let’s Dance.

Profile of artists:

L’Antoinette Stines founded Miami’s first, primarily black dance company, L’Acadco. Returning to Jamaica in 1982 she continued to grow with her company and together they have become dynamic ambassadors for Jamaican culture. L’Acadco’s mission is to present the rhythms of the Caribbean people on the world stage.

 Deborah Baddoo: is Artistic Director at State of Emergency, a dance company looking to develop the profile of dance of the African Diaspora in the UK. Trained at the University of Surrey and gaining an MA in Performance Arts at Middlesex University, Deborah has worked extensively as a dancer/choreographer, before establishing herself as a key figure in the development of the Black dance scene, including the development of the dance studio Pyramid in London.

REM Leicestershire Museums at Night

press release

10.05.10

Nocturnal adventures, late night openings and activities across Leicestershire this weekend

Night owls can look forward to a weekend of nocturnal adventures as museums and galleries alike inspire fresh discovery by opening their doors to late night visitors as part of the annual after-hours celebration.

Museums and galleries across the country are uniting to open up their collections to the public for Museums at Night 2010, with late opening hours and a huge range of activities for all with the east midlands boosting a great range of events this weekend.

Museums at Night is organised by Culture24 www.culture24.org.uk/museumsatnight and will take from 14 -16 May to coincide with the Europe wide campaign La Nuit de Musées.

Renaissance East Midlands is supporting the family friendly events and museum openings happening at night across the East Midlands which are mostly free of charge. In Leicester these include a Medieval Leicester Night against the backdrop of the illuminated Roman remains at the city’s Jewry Wall Museum and We’ll Meet Again – celebrating Kegworth during Wartime at Kegworth Museum.

Jewry Wall Museum

Medieval Leicester Night At The Museum

Saturday 15 May 6pm – 9pm

0116 225 4971

Spend an evening entertained by medieval craft activities, displays and talks led by our re-enactor. Plus, take the opportunity to explore the museum against the backdrop of the illuminated Roman remains. Blue Badge guided walks around Medieval Leicester from 6.00pm – 7.15pm and 7.30pm – 8.45pm. To pre-book guided walks, please call 0116 225 4971

Kegworth Museum

We’ll Meet Again

Friday 14 May 7:30-10pm

£4 adults / £2 children.

01509 670137

A display and slideshow showing life for Kegworth people during the 2nd world war

This is a rare opportunity to visit your local museum during the evening and the exciting activities should appeal to both regular museum goers and new customers, adults and children.

For the latest information and to find out what’s happening near you visit www.culture24.org.uk/museumsatnight

ENDS –

For further information, interview requests and pictures contact:

Mandy Dearsley

E: mandy@hollandalexander.com

T: 0116 261 6867

or Louise Holland

E: louise@hollandalexander.com

T: 0116 261 6868

Notes to Editors:

  1. Museums at Night is organised by Culture24 and is funded by MLA. For further information visit www.culture24.org.uk
  2. Museums at Night Weekend will take place over the weekend Friday 14 – Sunday 16 May. The Europe-wide celebration will be on Saturday 15 May.
  3. Culture24 is a registered charity and not-for-profit online publisher, working across the arts, heritage, education, and tourism sectors.
  4. Renaissance is the MLA’s ground-breaking programme to transform England’s regional museums. Renaissance East Midlands leads and delivers the programme across Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire for further details visit www.renaissanceeastmidlands.org.uk
  5. La Nuit De Musée was introduced by the French Culture Department to succeed Printemps de Musées and takes place on the Saturday nearest to International Museums Day (May 18).  It is now supported by the Council of Europe. In 2009, over 2,500 museums in 41 European countries took part. For more information visit www.nuitdesmusees.culture.fr
  6. MLA is the government agency for museums, libraries and archives. Leading strategically, MLA promotes best practice to inspire innovative, integrated and sustainable services for all. Visit www.mla.gov.uk

Holland Alexander. Be Inspired. Events, Marketing & PR Agency. London & Leicester.