TITANIC Belfast has been nominated for the Best UK Leisure Attraction award in the 2014 British Travel Awards.

The visitor attraction, located in Belfast’s historic shipyards where Titanic was built more than 100 years ago, is the only Northern Ireland nominee included in this year’s shortlisting.

Titanic Belfast will compete with last year’s winner Eden Project (Cornwall), The Scotch Whiskey Experience, and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort.

Titanic Belfast CEO Tim Husbands MBE said: “It’s a big honour for Titanic Belfast to be nominated for this prestigious travel award which is accredited by the industry experts.

“It is also a huge boost to Belfast and Northern Ireland that just two years after Titanic Belfast opened we have a visitor attraction that can compete with the elite in the UK.

“We would encourage everyone to support this nomination. It’s a simple online process – so show your pride in Titanic Belfast and cast your vote.”

Previous winners of the Best UK Leisure Attraction award include the London Eye and the Eden Project.

Titanic Belfast was Northern Ireland’s first-ever Northern Ireland Tourist Board 5-star accredited attraction and is the second-most popular paid-for visitor attraction in Ireland, second only to the Guinness Store House in Dublin.

It has welcomed more than 1.7 million visitors since opening on March 31, 2012, and has hosted major events such as MTV Sounds, BBC Proms in the Park, the Giro d’Italia Big Start and will host the Titanic Showdown Frampton and Martinez World Title boxing match on 6^th September.

Endorsed by celebrities such as TITANIC movie director James Cameron, Titanic discoverer Dr Robert Ballard and Her Majesty The Queen, Titanic Belfast is proving that is has enduring local and  worldwide appeal and that it can compete with the best in the industry.

The winners of British Travel Awards are determined by the public via an online voting platform. To help Titanic Belfast bring the award back to Northern Ireland you can cast your vote now on https://britishtravelawards.com/vote_form.php or via the official British Travel Awards website www.britishtravelawards.com

This is an invitation for companies to become part of the Merchant & Maker Collective!

The store will open in September 2014, 20 Donegall Place, Belfast.

There are spaces available from a price of less than £10 per day for local startup. Other terms will apply to retailers who need prime retail space.

There are many benefits of being part of a collective community of local retailers – prime location, shared footfall and costs!

For more information, please email merchantandmakercollective@gmail.com or telephone 07718 385155.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Come along to SUKI TEA HQ  for an open day on 1st August to meet the TEAm.

They have upgraded their warehouse and would love to  show it to the public!

The more the merrier. Pop in any time during the day.

The day will include:

-Tea tastings

-Introducing ‘Tea School’

-Refreshments provided (Iced tea will definately be on the menu)

Please contact Gill for more information on gill@suki-tea.com

There will be two beautiful farm walks taking place on horticultural holdings in Co. Down.

Both walks are free to attend and open to everyone.

1.Monday 04 August 2014 16:30pm – 19:30pm Grower: John McCormick Address: Helen’s Bay Organic Gardens, Coastguard Avenue, Bangor, County Down, BT19 1JY

Some background to Helen’s Bay Organic Gardens

John McCormick established Helen’s Bay Organic Gardens in 1991 (www.helensbayorganicgardens.com). It is situated on 20 acres of fields adjacent to Belfast Lough in Helen’s Bay, Co. Down and is licensed to EU organic standards. It combines growing vegetables on a field scale and 10,000 sq ft of polytunnels exclusively for their box scheme, market stall and farm shop. The soil is a heavy clay with a clay shale subsoil demanding careful management on three sites a few minutes apart. Rotations including green manure fertility periods are well established. The home site also hosts a community garden, a well-established demonstration allotment, fruit growing.

 

2.Wednesday 3 September 2014 16:30pm – 19:30pm Grower: Roy and Sheila Lyttle Address: 90 Portaferry Rd, Newtownards, County Down, BT23 8SN

The business started in the early 1980s by Roy and Sheila Lyttle, initially growing on 7 acres at the home farm. At this stage a wide range of conventionally grown crops was grown for several customers. The business expanded rapidly and in 1997 a decision was taken to invest in a new packhouse facility to specialise in preparing and packing Spring onions and Leeks, which were well suited to our light soils and favourable climatic conditions on The Ards Peninsula, for delivery to the multinationals which had arrived in N. Ireland. In 2000, 15 acres of ground was entered in to organic conversion and in 2003 the business started to supply organic leeks and a range of brassicas directly to Tesco and to several other independent retailers and box schemes. Other lines have been introduced, carrots, parsnips, swedes and potatoes and today the business grows 125 acres of conventional vegetables and 25 acres of assorted organic produce.

 

Please visit www.soilassociation.org/farmersgrowers/events/farmwalks for more information

 

On the 1^st July 2014 Michael and I (Jane) of Harnett’s Oils headed over to London for just over 24 hours.  Harnett’s Oils along with 12 other artisan food and drink companies and Paula McIntyre as members of Food NI where in London has we had been invited to showcase our businesses to the members of parliament on the 2 July.

Before our showcase the next day we where all invited for a reception on the balcony at the House of Commons. What a view? When we arrived at the House of commons we came in a taxi with Thyme and Co and PoshNosh and after going through security we realised that the rest of the group had not come in the same way as us and security did not know where we should be going so after wandering Westminster Hall and nearly ending up in a ‘rock the house’ concert we were relieved to find Michelle of FoodNI/Taste of Ulster although the concert did sound tempting!

It was a great privilege to be invited especially with the MP David Simpson serving the constituency that I run our business from.  The businesses were introduced to a few NI MPs before they had to go on and vote on a finance bill.  We finished our drinks and were shown the entrance to the room that we would be in the following day before heading to dinner at the Claxton Grill.

To get to dinner we passed Westminster Cathedral and New Scotland Yard.  I didn’t realise how everything was so close together especially when taxiing back to the hotel we past Horses Guard and Buckingham Palace.  For dinner over 20 of us took up our seats for an outstanding three course meal prepared by Adam Handling a final three contestant of Masterchef in recent years.  Our starter was salmon prepared in a water bath with fennel pollen, dill and apple; the main was lamb with clams finishing with temperatures and textures of chocolate and passionfruit.  A real treat for us all.

An early night was had as excitement began to build for the next day and if we were going to be lucky enough to meet the Prime Minister.  Alas unfortunately we were not lucky enough to meet any of the present cabinet that day.

On the 2^nd July we were set up with our sample boxes and our range of flavoured oils and pure oils for people to try at 10am in the Jubilee room awaiting MPs.  The showcase ran till 4pm and with ministers questions happening at 12pm we had a packed room soon after.  The NI food showcase was well attended by a range of MPs from our local MPs of DUP, SDLP to a few MPs from Scotland, Wales and England.  We also meet a few Lords and Ladies from the House of Lords some from home such as Baron Kilclooney, Viscount Brookeborough, Baron Rogan and Baron Browne of Belmont as well as Lord Tebbit.  We also met lawyers that work within the House of Commons, the chief whip, messengers (they wear golden chains worth £40,000.being part of the Crown Jewels round their necks) that hold the doors and interns working for a range of MPs.  Some of the most interesting conversations was with past secretary of states from over the years and of course there was Theresa Villiers who spoke a few words of the great products on display and the agriculture and food industry.   The day was a great showcase for NI food and it was great to be given such an opportunity to show our range of foods and that we can stand on a world stage with our products.

The day was a great showcase with great positivity for all our products.  Paula was in the kitchen producing some great entrees using our Pure Rapeseed Oil, Clandeboye Yoghurt, Glenarm Salmon and lamb to name a few of the local products.  It did give some of the mainland UK MPs something to think about and mentioned a few times to me ideas to bring back to their constituencies again showing what great products and businesses that we produce. This was highlighted by a number of people commenting not only on how they enjoyed our oils especially the Chilli and Garlic but that the NI Food Showcase had been one of the best showcases of the year.

It was a great experience and a real honour to be invited to such a prestigous event and thoroughly enjoyed our trip to London.