Custodians of the spaces and places that people love.

As part of Liverpool’s River of Light Festival (1^st to 9^th November 2019), Royal Liver Building 360 is proud to sponsor “Flight,” an immersive light experience showcased on the unique lightscape of the famous Royal Liver Building.

Utilising over 450 individual lights as well as a bespoke soundtrack, Flight brings this iconic building to life like never before with a story told through light.

The special digital showcase, known as ‘Flight’, sees the Royal Liver Building illuminated in a five minute light show every 30 minutes. It is accompanied by a new soundtrack composed by local artist Sam Crombie.

The light show, which has been designed by Arup and supported by Heritage Great Britain, will thereafter become a permanent feature of the city’s culture calendar as the building will have bespoke displays for special occasions.

Chris Devaney, operations manager for RLB360, said: “We know from the huge numbers of visitors we’ve had to RLB360 that people from all over the world love the Royal Liver Building. The new light show adds to this affection and gives this magnificent building a new lease of life. It strengthens its presence as a landmark building.”

For more information about Royal Liver Building 360, please visit their website or follow on Facebook.

Jean-Christophe Novelli has praised Taste North 2019 as “absolutely fantastic”.

Article and photo credit: johnogroat-journal.co.uk and Alan Hendry.

The acclaimed French chef was the star attraction at the Scottish mainland’s most northerly food festival, held at John O’Groats.

Despite very blustery conditions there was a huge turnout by the public to see cooking demonstrations and workshops as well as the packed exhibitors’ market featuring food and drink producers and artisan crafts from across the Highlands and Islands.

Jean-Christophe, who came to Britain in 1983 and has accumulated no fewer than four Michelin stars, conducted three demonstrations in the Taste North Cookery Theatre, making use of high-quality local produce.

Speaking after the first of these sessions, he said: “It’s absolutely fantastic. It’s really worth the trip and the time it takes to come as far as this wonderful part of the world.

“I’m not bothered by the wind or the rain – it’s the same everywhere. The thing is you’ve got good air, good oxygen, great produce and wonderful people.

“So far I’ve done just one demonstration and it has been hilarious. There is an amazing spirit.

“I had a few little issues with my hobs and pans and whatever, but who cares? The most important thing is to have a great time.

“What makes things happen is not just one person – it’s everyone, the whole surroundings.”

Jean-Christophe was full of praise for the array of local produce in the exhibitors’ market, accommodated in an adjacent marquee.

“I have been absolutely impressed with next door – the cheese, the meat, the fudge, the whisky, the gin. The quality is just unbelievable,” he said.

“So far so good, and I haven’t even used the fish yet – and it is going to be a guaranteed ten out of ten.

“Even if there are technical issues, people want to have great time and they are fabulous supporters.”

Now in its fifth year, Taste North is event-managed by tourism cooperative Venture North, with funding from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority. It also features the annual baking contest, the Taste North Challenge.

For more information on visiting and staying at John O’Groats, please visit the Together Travel website.

To read the full article on the John O’Groat Journal website, please click here.

We are thrilled to confirm a £750k investment in a brand new high nets adventure course for Sandham Gardens as part of the continued regeneration of Sandown, Isle of Wight.

Scheduled to open for Easter 2020, four nets will be suspended high up between timber posts with a treehouse in the middle and will be able to accommodate up to 400 people per day.

This new attraction is the latest addition to Sandham Gardens following the launch of ‘Dino islands: A Golf Adventure’ in early 2019 and ‘Sandham Karts’ in 2018.

Heritage Attractions Ltd, which also owns The Needles: Landmark Attraction on the Isle of Wight, has a 50-year lease with Sandown Town Council to develop Sandham Gardens.

For more information on Sandham Gardens please visit their website or follow on Facebook and Twitter.

The annual Mey Highland Games event at John O’Groats entered its third successive year and hit record numbers in both competing athletes and spectators.

According to the new chairman of the games, Councillor Andrew Sinclair, quoted in the John O’Groat journal: “Organising this year’s Mey Games has been a challenge but our organising committee has been absolutely fantastic and has really risen to the occasion. We are delighted at how successful the day was.

“The athletes and crowds were absolutely brilliant, and the weather couldn’t possibly have been better. The feedback we’re getting from many who attended is that this was the best games yet.”

To read the full article on the John O’Groat journal website, please click here.

For further information about staying at John O’Groats, please click here.

Photo credits: The John O’Groat Journal.

Liverpool visitor attraction, Royal Liver Building 360 (RLB360), which has already welcomed thousands of people since opening in April, is bringing the Liver Birds to life with the launch of a new mobile phone app.

Using different forms of multimedia including augmented reality (AR), there are markers located around the attraction which activate the app to further enhance the visitor experience.

People using the app also have an opportunity to further explore not only architect W.A Thomas’s connection to the city with a google maps linked guide to his other buildings but also to go out and find Bella & Bertie’s extended Liver Bird family.

The app was created by experiential design company Holovis, the people behind the immersive audio-visual experience which visitors can watch in the room behind the clock faces as part of the 70 minute tour.

Chris Brown, Director, Marketing Liverpool said:

“This is a great idea and adds another element to what is already proving to be a popular visitor attraction for tourists and people living in the city region.

“With tours now running later into the evening, it also gives even more people the opportunity to visit one of the city region’s must see attractions.”

Chris Devaney, Operations Manager for RLB360, said:

“We’re really pleased with all the positive feedback the RLB360 tower tour has been receiving from our visitors and we’re proud to already be ranked in the top 10 things to do in Liverpool on TripAdvisor.

“It’s been a fantastic opening three months and the launch of the app is just one of the exciting announcements we’ve got coming up this summer.”

The app can be downloaded on Android & iOS from the respective stores by searching “Royal Liver Building 360.”

Tickets and information about Royal Liver Building 360 are available from rlb360.com or across social media @rlb360.

CLASSIC car owners will be heading north to John O’Groats in January 2020 to take part in the annual Monte-Carlo Rally.

John O’Groats is again the starting point for the two-day heritage run which will link up with the Historique and Classique rallies, which next year see British entrants motoring out of Glasgow on the evening of January 29.

Article credit: John O’Groat Journal Website

The heritage drivers will leave John O’Groats on the morning of January 28 to go to Aberdeen, where they will stay overnight before continuing on to Glasgow.

Organisers would like cars on the heritage run to represent those that would have taken part in the Monte-Carlo rallies from the 1940s through to 1981.

Glasgow is the only British starting point of seven European cities including Athens, Milan and Barcelona. On the evening of January 29 the competing crews will set off from the start ramp in front of Glasgow City Chambers in George Square for the 1300-mile drive to the south of France.

The Historique class is being run for the 23rd year and is restricted to car models which competed in the Monte-Carlo rallies between 1955 and 1980. It will run over eight days on open public roads with the cars and crews undertaking a series of 14 demanding test stages in the mountains of southern France.

The Classique event is for older cars from as early as 1911 to 1965 and follows the same route to Monte-Carlo but does not include any test stages, the goal simply being to finish in Monte-Carlo after checking in at a series of control points on the way.

Picture credit: Robert MacDonald / Northern Studios.

For more information about staying at John O’Groats, please visit the Together Travel website.

To read this article on the John O’Groat journal website, please click here.