Latest news with #VisitEngland
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Grand Wiltshire home of former Prime Minister gets top award
A former Prime Minister's home has been been recognised as one of the top visitor attractions in the country. Arundells, the former home of Conservative leader Sir Edward Heath, has been awarded VisitEngland's Quality Assured Visitor Attraction status. The historic house, located in Cathedral Close, Salisbury, was given an overall quality score of 86 per cent following its first inspection by VisitEngland. The house was described as "unexpectedly captivating" with a "refreshingly personal and authentic" atmosphere and "immersive charm." Read more: Why Thames Water was hit with record breaking fine by Ofwat The volunteers were also praised for their warmth and knowledge. The report also highlighted the well-maintained gardens, preserved interiors, and the unique opportunity to step into the private world of one of Britain's former Prime Ministers. Luke Futcher, events and marketing manager at Arundells, said: "We are delighted to receive this national recognition from VisitEngland. "It reflects the care and commitment of our staff and volunteers, and the distinctive, high-quality experience we strive to offer every visitor." This recognition adds to a successful year for Arundells. Earlier in 2025, the house achieved Arts Council England Accredited Museum status, and in the spring, it won the Visitor Experience Award at the Salisbury Business Excellence Awards. Arundells was originally a medieval canonry, with the first recorded occupant being Henry of Blunston, Archdeacon of Dorset, who lived there from 1291 until his death in 1316. The house has seen many occupants over the centuries, including Leonard Bilson, who was pilloried and imprisoned for acts of sorcery and magic in 1571, and Sir Richard Mompesson, who undertook major restoration works in 1609. The name "Arundells" comes from James Everard Arundell, son of the 6th Lord Arundell, who married John Wyndham's daughter, Ann. The Arundells were a distinguished Roman Catholic family. Read more: Building 700 homes at old golf course 'best option' for the area Arundells hosted the Godolphin Girls School (and later a boys boarding school) between 1839 and 1844. During the Second World War, the house was used by the Red Cross as a centre for their library service and as a wool depot. The property fell into disrepair and demolition was considered following a long period of neglect. Extensive refurbishment works were undertaken by Mr and Mrs Robert Hawkings in 1964. Sir Edward Heath, who lived at Arundells from 1985 until his death in 2005, bequeathed the house to the Charitable Foundation set up in his name. He wanted as many people as possible to "share the beauty of Arundells" and enjoy his diverse and personal collection of artwork, photographs, sailing memorabilia and political cartoons.
The Sun
19-05-2025
- The Sun
All the UK holiday parks in the UK with forest schools for kids – including night vision walks and Bear Grylls Academy
AS the weather gets warmer and families look to get away, there is more to do than just head off on a beach break - many holiday camps across the UK also offer forest-based activities. Forest Schools or 'camps' are usually child-centred and feature activities that help children learn about the outside world and experiment hands-on. 5 5 5 Here are some of the best across the UK. Keldy Forest Lodges, Yorkshire Keldy Forest Lodges located in Yorkshire is home to both classic cabins with hot tubs and forest lodges. Keldy hosts a number of different outdoor activities for families including archery, air rifle shooting or a zip wire experience. There is also a Forest Ranger Adventure, where - alongside a Forest Ranger - families can learn about the forest and participate in treasure hunts and Night Vision walks. The holiday park is located on the edge of the North York Moors National Park too which is also a great place to explore nature. Mendip Basecamp, Somerset Set within an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Somerset's Mendip Basecamp is home to a number of outdoor activities for explorers of all ages. With a campsite and glamping onsite, the outdoor activity centre has a number of free activities every day and over 20 expert-led adventures to book including rock climbing, paddleboarding, caving and archery. The camping pitches also have fire pits. Mendip Basecamp also secured a VisitEngland Award for Excellence 2025 Camping, Glamping and was a Holiday Park of the Year finalist. Ridgeway Adventure, Scotland Ridgeway Adventure sits on Scotland's NC500 and visitors can enjoy outdoor adventures tailored to each family, from mountain hikes to sea kayaking, wild swimming, foraging, and coastal survival skills. The holiday park that's been called an affordable Centre Parcs Families can stay at Ardmore, which is just yards from the sea, in a cosy house with home-cooked meals provided daily – no cooking, no hassle. The activities are organised for families and on their final day, visitors are free to enjoy it by themselves including beach walks. Parkdean Resorts, nationwide At Parkdean Resorts, there is the Bear Grylls Survival Academy: Shipwrecked. 5 Led by qualified instructors, the Bear Grylls Survival Academy enables young explorers to learn all about how to fend for themselves using just their natural surroundings. The academy is suitable for all ages, but children under eight-years-old must be accompanied by an adult. A mother visits Haven holiday parks every year with her family and has shared some secret areas guests don't know about. Plus, Britain's best holiday park has been revealed with indoor pool, famous nearby beach and the 'best sunsets'. 5
Travel Daily News
16-05-2025
- Business
- Travel Daily News
Tourism's importance to social cohesion highlighted in VisitEngland 's report
VisitEngland research shows tourism boosts UK community pride, wellbeing, social cohesion, job opportunities, and access to culture, benefiting both residents and visitors. New research published by VisitEngland demonstrates the positive cultural and social impacts that tourism has on local communities across the UK. The report – 'The Social Value of Tourism' – found significantly higher levels of community pride, sense of wellbeing and social cohesion amongst residents living and working in areas frequented by both domestic and international visitors. People living in tourism areas were 23% more connected to their communities. 58% of residents surveyed in these destinations felt connected to their community compared to 35% elsewhere. Those living and working in tourism areas (called 'host communities' in the report), were also more likely to be proud of their local area with sense of pride-in-place scoring 12% higher overall than in 'non-host communities.' The research, which considered a range of social and cultural measures, also found that almost 80% of people surveyed felt more positive after travelling in the UK and more than 70% felt healthier or more replenished after their trip. VisitEngland CEO Patricia Yates said: 'We already know how tourism drives economic growth for communities. With 'The Social Value of Tourism' report we can now also evidence how tourism improves wellbeing and social cohesion for both visitors and residents alike, as well as boosting employment opportunities, social mobility and improving local infrastructure. 'As this report demonstrates, tourism's true value extends much broader than its economic benefits, creating connected communities where people want to live, work and visit and enriching community life.' Looking at jobs and career development, tourism was found to provide employment for people from a wide range of educational backgrounds and to offer strong apprenticeship opportunities for young people, especially in rural and coastal communities. Eighty-five per cent of tourism/leisure apprenticeships were undertaken by those aged 24 and under compared to 52% across all sectors. Tourism also improved access to culture, green spaces and local businesses, with more than half of host community residents living within five miles of these amenities compared to longer distances elsewhere. High footfall tourist areas also had examples of expanding bus and rail services benefitting both residents and visitors. The report, produced by Public First for VisitEngland, is supported by 14 case studies from destinations which consider a range of social, cultural and community impacts of tourism locally and regionally. From growing the visitor economy in the North East to the value of national parks to the cultural impact of Eurovision 2023, the case studies showcase tourism's social value through the lens of local communities. Tourism is one of England's largest and most valuable industries, generating about £76 billion annually for the economy in domestic visitor spending.
Wales Online
21-04-2025
- Climate
- Wales Online
Bank Holiday Monday weather forecast - rain for most, frost on the way
Bank Holiday Monday weather forecast - rain for most, frost on the way Parts of the country have already seen one month's rain in a week The weather forecast for this week includes outbreaks of heavy rain The bank holiday weekend will end with cloud and rain for much of the UK, the Met Office has forecast. The weather service said that Monday would be 'rather cloudy with rain continuing eastwards, sometimes heavy and thundery over England in the afternoon'. It added that 'sunny spells and showers' will follow into western regions with temperatures mostly around the seasonal norm. Met Office operational meteorologist Dan Stroud said: 'It will be a rather cloudy start to Monday with a band of rain moving eastwards during the course of the day, turning a little bit brighter and showery from the west later on Monday afternoon. 'So it's not a complete washout for the likes of Northern Ireland, Wales and the south and west.' Article continues below Mr Stroud said there would be highs of 17C to 18C on Monday but temperatures may drop overnight into Tuesday 'low enough for a touch of frost in the very far north of the country'. He told the PA news agency: 'But for many, Tuesday actually starts on a dry and bright note. We've got the legacy of Monday's rain still hanging on to the extreme north and east of Scotland but then it's all eyes to the west as a fairly deep area of low pressure approaches. 'So cloud and outbreaks of heavy rain will spread in from the west during the course of Tuesday.' Mr Stroud added that parts of Devon and Cornwall have already had their average monthly rainfall over the last week. The meteorologist said conditions will 'gradually improve' and 'become increasingly dry and bright' towards the end of the week as high pressure starts to build in from the north. Tourism authority VisitEngland estimated that around 10.6 million British adults planned to take a holiday in the UK over the bank holiday period. The AA said just over 18 million journeys are expected on Monday, up from 15.8 million on last year's Easter Monday, which fell at the end of March. Article continues below Train passengers were warned about disruption as Network Rail undertakes engineering work over the Easter weekend. The Government-owned company said it would carry out work on more than 300 projects across Britain between Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday, causing a number of lines to be closed. The most significant impact was due to be at London Euston – the UK's 10th busiest railway station – which had no services to or from Milton Keynes on Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable on Good Friday and Monday. That was because of work including renewals of overhead electric lines and drainage improvements. Meanwhile, travel trade organisation Abta said approximately 2.2 million Britons would head overseas during the long weekend, with Good Friday being the busiest day for travel.
The Independent
21-04-2025
- Climate
- The Independent
Bank holiday weekend forecast to end with rain for much of UK
The bank holiday weekend will end with cloud and rain for much of the UK, the Met Office has forecast. The weather service said that Monday would be 'rather cloudy with rain continuing eastwards, sometimes heavy and thundery over England in the afternoon'. It added that 'sunny spells and showers' will follow into western regions with temperatures mostly around the seasonal norm. Met Office operational meteorologist Dan Stroud said: 'It will be a rather cloudy start to Monday with a band of rain moving eastwards during the course of the day, turning a little bit brighter and showery from the west later on Monday afternoon. 'So it's not a complete washout for the likes of Northern Ireland Wales and the south and west.' Mr Stroud said there would be highs of 17C to 18C on Monday but temperatures may drop overnight into Tuesday 'low enough for a touch of frost in the very far north of the country'. He told the PA news agency: 'But for many, Tuesday actually starts on a dry and bright note. 'We've got the legacy of Monday's rain still hanging on to the extreme north and east of Scotland but then it's all eyes to the west as a fairly deep area of low pressure approaches. 'So cloud and outbreaks of heavy rain will spread in from the west during the course of Tuesday.' Mr Stroud added that parts of Devon and Cornwall have already had their average monthly rainfall over the last week. The meteorologist said conditions will 'gradually improve' and 'become increasingly dry and bright' towards the end of the week as high pressure starts to build in from the north. Tourism authority VisitEngland estimated that around 10.6 million British adults planned to take a holiday in the UK over the bank holiday period. The AA said just over 18 million journeys are expected on Monday, up from 15.8 million on last year's Easter Monday, which fell at the end of March. Train passengers were warned about disruption as Network Rail undertakes engineering work over the Easter weekend. The Government-owned company said it would carry out work on more than 300 projects across Britain between Good Friday and Bank Holiday Monday, causing a number of lines to be closed. The most significant impact was due to be at London Euston – the UK's 10th busiest railway station – which had no services to or from Milton Keynes on Saturday and Easter Sunday, and a reduced timetable on Good Friday and Monday. That was because of work including renewals of overhead electric lines and drainage improvements. Meanwhile, travel trade organisation Abta said approximately 2.2 million Britons would head overseas during the long weekend, with Good Friday being the busiest day for travel.
