Latest news with #JohnLowery
BBC News
03-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta 2025 refused Knavesmire site by tourist chiefs
The organiser of the Yorkshire Balloon Fiesta has said he is "gutted" after being denied permission to hold the event in YorkThis year's spectacle was due take place on the city's Knavesmire on the last weekend of John Lowery said Make It York had refused permission for what was one of the biggest events in the city's calendar, citing traffic management and licensing as Lowery said: "We've got a history of doing that work and proving that we've done highways and environmental health." The BBC has approached Make it York for a comment. The festival, which began in 2017, had been held at York Racecourse before it switched to Castle Howard in 2023. The event did not take place in Lowery said they were eager to return to the Knavesmire and, despite gaining permission from the racecourse, were refused by Make It tourist organisation manages the land on behalf of City of York Council."We were told that it would have to go out to an expression of interest after four months. Once the expression of interest came in February, we applied. Yesterday we found out that we were unsuccessful and there would be no event," Mr Lowery said."I'm gutted. As a York person, for me there's no better feeling than being on that stage and seeing thousands of people happy and enjoying themselves."Mr Lowery said they had tried to keep prices down and had previously worked with food banks to offer free tickets."A lot of people can't afford to go to these festivals and concerts so it's a real shame that something affordable can't happen in the city," he said. Mr Lowery said with regards to concerns about traffic and licensing, the team behind the event had "been there, we've done all that"."We spent £25,000 the last time we were there doing traffic. We've never had any trouble with traffic for the last two years."We feel as though we would have met X, Y, and Z if we were asked to do X, Y, and Z."The organiser said it was now too late to find an alternate venue for 2025 but was hopeful for next year."We won't give up," he added. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Land deal returns nearly 1,400 acres ‘rich with cultural significance' to Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina
PEMBROKE, N.C. (WBTW) — Nearly 1,400 acres of sacred ancestral lands are being handed over to the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina in a land deal announced Monday by a national conservation group. 'We are excited to reconnect with this land, which we've not been able to access for a very long time. Our people are outdoors people, and the ability to steward this land for Lumbee and visitors alike is truly special,' Tribal Chairman John Lowery said in a statement. New York-based Open Space Institute acquired the 1,382-acre Camp Island property with funding support from a private family foundation and a North American Wetlands Conservation Act grant facilitated by Ducks Unlimited. OSI then donated the property 'rich with cultural significance and natural resources' to the tribe. The nonprofit said Camp Island represents the first opportunity to establish a large, protected natural area under Lumbee stewardship. According to 2020 Census figures, roughly 116,000 Robeson County residents self-identify as American Indian — the highest concentration of that demographic in any county east of the Mississippi River. The Camp Island grounds are special among the Lumbees as a cultural site where significant indigenous artifacts have been found. In addition to its tribal significance, officials said keeping the land away from private development will have environmental benefits as well, since several blackwater samps on site drain directly into the Lumber River. 'We're excited to join forces with OSI and the Lumbee Tribe to funda project that holds tremendous value for wetlands, wildlife and the community,' said Emily Purcell, who runs Ducks Unlimited's southeastern conservation programs. Camp Island's history traces back to pre-colonial times and once housed a pro-British loyalist encampment. In the 1850s, escaped slaves set up a small community on the grounds. * * * Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
