Cadw Sites Offer Gateway to Wales’s Heritage

According to the Welsh Assembly, new research has revealed that almost 75% of all visitors to Cadw sites not only learn something new about Wales’s heritage during their visit but are also encouraged to explore more of its historical wealth as a result.

On their website they say: "An interest in Welsh culture and history was cited as the main motivators for influencing a visit to a Cadw site by over 34% of respondents, with archery demonstrations, re-enactments and falconry displays proving particularly enticing during events. Events at Cadw sites are also more likely to attract local family visitors on day trips. Three-quarters of all respondents also felt current admission prices were about right."

They also found that over 57% of visitors to Cadw sites are female, with 42% of all visitors from Wales stating an ability to speak, understand or read Welsh. It was found that over three-quarters of all visitors came from outside Wales, with European visitors accounting for over half (53%) of those visiting from overseas. Over 55% of all visitors were family groups with this figure rising to 64% during specific event days.

These findings, along with numerous others, will be used by Cadw, the Welsh Assembly’s historic environment service, to guide future marketing and events strategies and better understand the needs of visitors whether according to their gender, age, language use or country of origin. Over 2,500 visitors were interviewed at selected Cadw sites as part of the project undertaken by Beaufort Research throughout August and September 2007.

We will, of course, be working with Cadw again in 2008 distributing their promotional print and representing them at various shows and events.

Liverpool’s Year as Capital of Culture

The City of Liverpool will officially open its year as European Capital of Culture with a three-day weekend of public events and concerts. The celebrations begin on Friday 11th January 2008 with a free open-air show on St George’s Plateau featuring ex-Beatle, Ringo Starr.

On 12th January, Ringo pops up again with Eurythmic Dave Stewart, to open the new Liverpool Echo Arena with Liverpool The Musical. Other performers include the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, No Fakin DJ’s, Echo and the Bunnymen, Pete Wylie, Ian Broudie, Shack and The Christians, plus a cast of poets, singers, aerialists, comedians, construction workers, gardeners and sailors.

Along with specially commissioned film and rare archive footage, Liverpool The Musical will feature music composed by Elgar, John Newton, The Real Thing, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Beatles, The La’s, The Wombats, The Farm, The Zutons, Stravinsky and Space, rearranged for the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in collaboration with No Fakin DJ’s and conducted by Vasily Petrenko.

Sir Paul McCartney and his band will also perform in his home city in a Liverpool Sound concert in front of a crowd of 30,000 at Anfield Football Stadium on 1st June 2008.

We are looking forward to working with the Mersey Partnership and various Liverpool attractions to make 2008 a very special year indeed.

Festive Fun at the Frost Fair!

Last week Jenny and I were lucky enough to be invited to an opening night at Chester Zoo. This is the second year of the Frost Fair, which has proved very popular over the winter period. It is such an innovative way of attracting people all year round. The zoo has already had a good year with record breaking visitor numbers and the Frost Fair is sure to sustain that popularity.

I had fully prepared for the evening by wrapping up in my woolly hat and scarf. Walking up to the entrance of the zoo, I could see it had been transformed into a Winter Wonderland. There were twinkling lights to guide us to the entrance and as we walked through the gates we even got a blast of snow to get us in the mood. It looks so magical when you first walk through, not like the Chester Zoo I'm used to.

Robin Cousins was the special guest for the evening and he declared the Frost Fair open. Unfortunately there was no ice skating display from himself but we were able to see some of the skaters from Deeside Ice Rink show off their skills. Jenny and I decided we wouldn't showcase our skating skills that evening, so we went exploring to see what else the Frost Fair had to offer.

As you can see from the picture, we came across some interesting characters on our travels. There was so much to see and it is an excellent attraction for families. There was a carousel, face painting, Santa's Grotto, mulled wine, mince pies and you can even go and see the Asian Elephants getting ready for bed! The shop is still open late into the evening, so we took the opportunity to find some unusual Christmas gifts.

We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at the Frost Fair, and we were full of festive spirit by the time we had to leave. I can't wait to return and enjoy it with my family and I may even risk a spin on the ice this time. Why not take your family along as a Christmas treat?