News from Rugby Tourism
News - latest first!
Joto Hobbies wins
award
Congratulations to our long-standing member
Joto Hobbies, who won the
Best Overall Business award in the 2008 Town Centre Customer Care
Awards. In addition Val McCafferty, Joto's manager, won the Best
Individual award
Rugby part of £50
million win
With support from Rugby Tourism, the Sustrans' Connect2 bid for £50
million in The Peoples' Millions was successful. The announcement
on 12 December 2007 was good news for Rugby which will be given a grant
of £350,000
for a scheme to create an attractive footpath and cycleway from the Oxford Canal towpath in
Newbold to Rugby town centre via the Leicester Road viaduct. Read more
here
Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drinks Awards
2007
Rugby Tourism
was
delighted to support the 6th annual Coventry and Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards, details
of which can be found by following this link.
The awards ceremony was held at the
The Belfry on Tuesday
20 November 2007. Two of our members received awards:
Garden Organic Ryton won the Best Breakfast
category and was also Highly Commended in the Best Restaurant section, while
Ashton Lodge Country House Hotel was Highly
Commended in the Best Junior Chef category.
Read
more on this site
Rugby World Cup
Kick-Off
Sunday 2 September saw the local community celebrate a world sporting attraction
in a day of fun and entertainment. The festival took place in Rugby,
where the Mayor
unfurled a special commemorative Rugby World Cup flag, which will fly in the town
centre throughout September and October. Visitors immersed
themselves in the history and heritage of the game of Rugby football
with visits to the Webb Ellis Museum and tours of Rugby School.
Other opportunities included family activities, arts and crafts, locally
brewed beer, and face-painting. There were also various
activities run by Wooden Spoon
Asda Development -
now underway!
The latest development to take place in Rugby has started This will mean a lane
being closed in Corporation Street and the closure of Chapel Street car park, but it
will all be worth it!
Caldecott Park -
£1 million makeover!
Rugby Tourism welcomes the fantastic news from Rugby Borough Council
that its flagship park is to get a massive makeover.
Caldecott Park, always a delight to visit throughout the year, has seen work start on various projects totalling
£1,000,000, funded by the national lottery
Rugby in National Britain
in Bloom competition 2007
This year sees Rugby representing the Heart of
England Region in the National Britain in Bloom Competition for the first
time. This is a unique opportunity to showcase to a wider audience
what we can achieve when the Borough Council, local business and the
community all work together. Many of the displays are sponsored by
local companies whose financial support is greatly appreciated, and
recognised with signage adjacent to the displays. Rugby-born TV star
Arthur Bostrom, from 'Allo 'Allo, launched Rugby's bid on Monday
23 April, when he toured the town and released 500 balloons in Caldecott
Park
Enjoy Rugby 2007 -
it just keeps getting better
25,000 copies of the guide have been
produced and provide information on where to visit, eat, shop and sleep
whilst visiting the Borough of Rugby. The guide has been distributed to
all Tourist Information Centres throughout the Country and to all the
Borough's attractions and accommodation providers. A copy of the new
Enjoy Rugby 2007 guide can be picked up from the Rugby Visitor Centre
in the foyer of the Art Gallery and Museum
Rugby Art Gallery
and Museum -
quality assured
Rugby Art Gallery and Museum has received recognition for its high
quality status for the sixth year running, having been inspected by
VAQAS (Visitor
Attraction Quality Assurance Survey). They received their award from
the English Tourism Council
Access Rugby
– a guide for residents and visitors with disabilities
Friday 30 March 2007 saw the launch of an
important and groundbreaking publication produced by Rugby Borough Council
in partnership with local and national organisations. Access Rugby
is a guide specifically compiled and designed to help disabled residents and
visitors enjoy what is on offer all around the Borough
Excellence in Tourism
Congratulations to Coombe Abbey Hotel - no ordinary hotel - on its
nomination in the Large Hotel of the Year category in the Heart of England
Excellence in Tourism Awards. Also up for a prestigious 2006 award is
the Rugby Visitor Centre in the Tourist Information Centre of the Year
category. Good luck to both our members
William Webb Ellis Cup
Rugby Football enthusiasts will be delighted to have the opportunity of seeing the Rugby World Cup
trophy at first hand in Rugby this autumn.
The William Webb Ellis Cup will be on view in the Rugby Museum and Art
Gallery from 1 December 2006. Although it will be on show amidst
tight security, visitors will get the chance to have their photograph taken
with it. It will remain here until 7 January 2007
Hidden Britain
Congratulations to our local village of Dunchurch who are well on their way
to becoming part of
Hidden Britain
Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drinks Awards
2006
Rugby Tourism is
delighted that one of its members was Highly Commended in both the "Best Restaurant"
and "Best Breakfast" categories in the Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards.
Congratulations to the restaurant staff at
Ryton Organic Gardens for this recognition of their excellence. The awards ceremony
was held at another member's establishment, the
Dunchurch Park Hotel, on Tuesday 11 October 2005
Art in
the Park 2006
Rugby Tourism was delighted with the new initiative this year in association
with Warwickshire Artsweek. Art in the Park took place in Caldecott
Park, Rugby on Sunday 2 July.
Follow this link to see some pictures of the event
Rugby Business Awards
2006
Congratulations to our members who achieved success in this year's Rugby
Business Awards: James Pak was nominated for Boss of the Year and for a
Lifetime Achievement Award, while his company,
Jamesway Travel,
was nominated for a Customer Care Award, gained third place for Innovator of
the Year and third place for the Best Marketing or Promotional Campaign.
Style Lounge Bar was winner of Business Newcomer and winner of Small
Business of the Year.
Bees Knees Private Hire
were runners-up in Small Business of the Year, were nominated for a Customer
Care Award and also for team of the Year. Phil Fereday was runner-up
in the Employer of the Year category. Finally
Summersault
gained third place in the
Customer Care awards
Sir Frank
Whittle sculpture
Rugby Tourism fully supported the initiative to erect a sculpture to the
memory of Sir Frank Whittle, inventor of the jet engine, at Chestnut
Field. Three sculptors were shortlisted, and their maquettes
were on view to the public in February 2005. A winner was chosen
and the work of art was unveiled in Chestnut Fields on Friday 21 October 2005
Coventry & Warwickshire Food and Drinks Awards
2005
Rugby Tourism is
delighted that one of its members won the "Best Restaurant" category in the Coventry
& Warwickshire Food and Drink Awards.
Congratulations to the restaurant staff at
Ryton Organic Gardens for taking the top spot. The awards ceremony
was held at another member's establishment, the
Dunchurch Park Hotel, on Tuesday 11 October 2005
Wheelchair Race for Able-bodied People
Rugby
Disability Forum presented this special event in Rugby Town Centre.
Many well-known figures from the area competed in one of several
heats leading to a grand final. It all happened on Thursday 7 July
2005 in
Sheep Street from 11.00 a.m., and was covered live by 107.1 Rugby FM.
The aim was to raise awareness of navigation problems of people in
wheelchairs. See some photographs
here.
The Sheene Run 2005
Following the huge success of the
2003 Sheene Run
event, Rugby again played host to biking enthusiasts in their thousands.
It took place on Sunday 3 July and Rugby was
transformed for this family-orientated day, with even more attractions
and amusements than two years ago. See some photographs
here.
Links with Menton
Rugby Tourism is pleased that Rugby is actively building links with Menton, in the
South of France, where William Webb Ellis is buried
Marketing and
developing Rugby as a tourist destination
Please follow this link for
a brief overview of the likely way forward for Rugby to develop as a
tourist destination
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