News Items
Coastal Activity Park in Boscombe!
Plans to create Britain's first Coastal Activity Park, only 3 miles from Christchurch, have been outlined. The Park is set to be part of the new National Coastal Tourism Academy and bosses say it ''will offer a greathly expanded choice of new sports opportunities and a packed programme of events for local residents and seafront visitors, creating a ground breaking new attraction'. Throughout this summer a line up of events and pilot activities will take place, including tag rugby, beach volleyball, triathlons, a family adventure festival and children's activity sessions.
More information is to follow but further information can be found at www.coastaltourismacademy.co.uk
News Item dated 4th June 2013
Get Married at Lord Bute
As of April this year the Lord Bute in Highcliffe is fully licensed for marriage ceremonies, civil 
partnerships and renewal of vows.
Couples can choose from six different locations within the boutique hotel including the conservatory, restaurant, garden suite and the gazebo, making it one of only 19 venues in Dorset licensed for outdoor marriages*. Up to 100 guests can be seated depending on the location chosen and the Lord Bute only holds one wedding per day.
Proprietor Gary Payne said “Without a doubt the granting of our wedding licence marks an incredibly exciting time for us. We have plans to transform the ceremony space within the hotel which will be completed in time for our first marriage ceremony this summer and we have a further 30 celebrations booked this year.”
News Item dated 23rd April 2013
The Cream of Christchurch are celebrated at the Best of the Best Awards 2013
Christchurch restaurants, cafes and pubs celebrated as the winners were announced at this year's Coastline Best of the Best Awards held as part of the Christchurch Food & Wine Festival at the Regent Centre.
Festival patron Lesley Waters presented the prizes at the glittering ceremony on Monday evening.
Winners were decided by members of the public voting for their favourites online along with an independent panel of judges who visited every establishment entering the awards.
Winners included:
The Jetty - Best Fine Dining
Samphire - Best Casual Dining
Tides Restaurant at the Captain's Club - Best Weekday Lunch
The Lord Bute - Best Sunday Lunch
New Forest Perfumery – Best Cafe
The Three Tuns – Best Public House
Leszek Kazmierczak from The Jetty - Coastline Special Award for Best Customer Service by an Individual
The Christchurch Harbour Hotel – Best Marketing Award
The President of the Food Festival, Mary Reader, presented her special award to Food Festival committee member, John Hazeldine, for his hard work behind the scenes in arranging many technical aspects of the Festival.
Earlier this year, four young chefs from Christchurch restaurants competed for the title of Young Professional Chef of the Year with the winner, Jack Stoner from the Kings Arms, presented with his award.
News Item Dated 18th March 2013
Christchurch Information Centre Achieves a GOLD Green Tourism Award
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The team at the Christchurch Information Centre worked really hard over the last 2 years to gain this outstanding award, proving they are committed to being environmentally sustainable.
The criteria set by the Green Tourism Business Scheme was very specific and the Centre, based in Christchurch High Street, had to prove they were taking steps to be as environmentally friendly as possible. The areas which the centre was assessed on were Management and Marketing, Social involvement and communication, Energy, Using water wisely, Waste, Purchasing, Travel, Natural and cultural heritage and Innovation.
The assessor from the Scheme said she was very impressed with the local crafts for sale, the excellent array of information available to visitors and the knowledge of all staff who are aware of the importance of promoting environmentally friendly issues.
News Item dated 28th February 2013
James Martin set for Christchurch Food & Wine Festival again
TV chef James Martin is set to appear once again at this year’s Christchurch Food & Wine Festival.
The popular chef will be appearing in two cookery demonstrations in the marquee behind the Regent Centre on Sunday 12 May, the first demonstration being at 11.30am and the second at 3.30pm. At the afternoon demonstration James will be joined by Luke Matthews, Head Chef of the Chewton Glen Hotel.
There is also a chance to meet James and have a VIP seat at the demonstrations by booking lunch at one of two venues on the same day.
James will first be visiting The Kings Arms Hotel before going on to The Captains Club. Lunch with him is available at either venue priced £40. People taking lunch at The Kings Arms will have VIP seats at the 11.30 demonstration while those attending lunch at The Captains Club will have VIP seats at the 3.30 demonstration.
The Festival’s patron, Lesley Waters, will also be returning for a cookery demonstration in the marquee on Saturday 11 May at 11.15am. There is a chance to have VIP seats at the demonstration and take lunch with Lesley at The Kings Arms Hotel with lunch priced at £30.
Tickets for all these lunches are available from the Regent Centre’s website or from the Centre’s box office on 01202 499199.
News Item dated 25th February 2013
Christchurch Wins Awards- South & South East England in Bloom
Christchurch has been recognised and awarded the following awards;
- Coastal Town of the Year Over 12,000 – Overall winner and Silver-Gilt Award to Christchurch
- Conservation Area of the Year – Overall Winner and Gold Award for Stanpit Marsh
- Small Park of the Year – Gold Award for Christchurch Quay
News Item dated 18th September 2012
Christchurch Quay wins a Green Flag
Christchurch Quay has been judged and successfully met the standards required for a Green Flag Award – the national quality standard for parks and green spaces. Winning parks are judged to be welcoming and well-maintained, with the support and involvement of the local community.
Winning a Green Flag Award is a great success for Christchurch Quay and formally recognises the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in managing, maintaining and volunteering at the site.
To celebrate this achievement we will be organising a flag raising event
News Item dated 17th July 2012
New flight from Bournemouth to Dublin
Aer Lingus Regional will start operating a Bournemouth-Dublin route this summer. The new service will commence on 1st May and flights will operate six days a week (every day except Saturday). The flight will depart from Bournemouth at 16.20 hrrs. and the flight from Dublin will depart at 14.30 hrs. The introduction of this new service will bring increased visitors to Christchurch, Bournemouth and Dublin, and will significantly benefit business travel and are also ideal for midweek or weekend short breaks for leisure passengers. Prices start from £29.99 one way, including taxes and are available for booking on www.aerlingus.com
News Item dated 7th February 2012
Christchurch Restaurant wins South West Tourism Excellence Award
The Jetty has been announced as a Winner in the Taste of South West category for the South West Tourism Excellence Awards 2011-2012.
Alex Aitken said of the news: “We are delighted to have been chosen as a Winner in this category, the fact that we have been selected alongside two such highly respected and recognised restaurants is a clear testament to our fantastic team, demonstrating just how far we have come in such a short amount of time. By using local produce and celebrating our fantastic region, we aim to continue contributing to the tourism of the South West.”
Robin Barker, Director of Services for Tourism Ltd, who coordinate the Awards on behalf of the South West Tourism Alliance, commented: “This was one of the most competitive of all categories, with the panel discussion taking longest by far – all of which is reflective of the outstanding quality of food and drink in this region.”
News item dated January 2012
Red House- The Movie!
The Red House Museum is proud to present the DVD The Red House - Where the past meets the present. For the first time in the history of the Red House the museum has made a feature length documentary on the life and work of the Museum, its staff and volunteers, exhibitions, and events. .jpg)
The DVD paints a never previously shown portrait of the Museum. For two years the museum worked on this production in collaboration with Eric Montague from Netfora Media.
The DVD, presented as an educative and fascinating documentary in twelve chapters, portrays the life and times of the Museum, documenting the history of the workhouse, the Museum benefactor Herbert Druitt and his family, to the current day museum of exhibitions, events and workshops. Experts from the Hampshire Museum Service shed light on the permanent exhibitions (including the fabulous dresses from 1903 to 1939) and give an insight into the stories behind the artefacts. The DVD features special events with Paul Atterbury from the Antiques Roadshow, the Bailey Bridge Exhibition, Professor Heard's Magical Lantern Show, and features interviews with staff members and volunteers who talk about their special ties to the Museum.
The historic gardens including the walled Herb Garden, are shown at their best in the company of an expert gardener.
The Red House - Where the past meets the present is aimed at anyone who is interested in life and times of Red House Museum. The DVD has been filmed entirely in 'high definition' (HD) which has resulted in an exceptional image quality. Priced at £6.99, the DVD is available at the museum and the Christchurch Information Centre, and would make a wonderful Christmas present.
News Item dated 17th October 2011
Quality Coast Award
Friars Cliff Beach in Christchurch has been given a prestigious Quality Coast Award in the 'Resort Bathing Beach' category for the third year running.
Quality Coast Awards, presented by Keep Britain Tidy, recognise and reward beaches in England that achieve the highest standards of beach management.
In order to receive the Award, the beach must have mandatory water quality, well developed facilities such as toilets, first aid, and disabled access, a variety of activities encouraged on the beach and dogs should be banned from all or part of the beach during the bathing season.
News Item dated 9th August 2011
Local author aims to thrill and inform
Local author, Julie Ratcliffe, hopes to both thrill and inform readers with her first novel, The .jpg)
Thirteenth Box. Aimed at children aged 9 and over the book is the first in a series of Smugglers’ Town Mysteries, and is set in Christchurch in 1780. Julie, who lives in Burton, has written the book to appeal equally to boys as well as girls. Additionally, the book is historically correct with details of life at that time, with the added benefit that many of the locations can be visited.
“I wanted to create a world that was both exciting and interesting,” said Julie. “Christchurch at this time was a small town, but smuggling was rife. It was a historic town even then its history is well documented, helping with the research. I hope anyone picking up the book will not only experience a great read, but will enjoy finding out what things like ankers, spout lamps, bone boxes and fart followers are. I also feel there aren’t enough books attractive to boys, so the book has fights and cursing, some nasty baddies and smelly-breathed, drunken adults!”
The Thirteenth Box is a fast-paced adventure mystery which tells of a mysterious machine brought into the town through the harbour in a cargo of boxes, and of the fight between gangs of smugglers to obtain the whole set. Three children, each from different backgrounds, meet by chance and, facing great danger, become embroiled in the adventure.
The Thirteenth Box is published by High Sails Publications (HSP) and is available for purchase at the Christchurch Information Centre.
News Item dated 18th July 2011
Fireman Sam comes to Adventure Wonderland!
Fireman Sam takes a break from fighting fires in Pontypandy to visit all his fans at intervals throughout the day on Sunday 17th July 2011.
For further details contact Adventure Wonderland on 01202 483444
News item dated 8th July 2011
Quality Coast Award for Friars Cliff Beach
Friars Cliff Beach in Christchurch has won a Quality Coast Award from Keep Britain Tidy, the organisation responsible for the awards. The Award recognises the high standards achieved for cleanliness, facilities, water quality and safety at the beach.
News item dated 17th May 2011
Award Winning Christchurch Food Festival
On 9 December the Christchurch Food and Wine Festival was presented with the Creative Company / Project of the Year Award sponsored by The Arts University College at Bournemouth and Liz Lean PR
Champagne corks popped as representatives of the festival committee stepped into the limelight to accept the award for Creative Company / Project of the Year at the prestigious 2010 Dorset Business Awards Gala Dinner. The event was held at the Lighthouse Theatre in Poole and hosted by the BBC's Royal and Diplomatic Correspondent, Nicholas Witchell. The Awards ceremony was attended by more than 550 of the region's business people, dignitaries and press who had gathered to see 10 awards presented for their achievements in all aspects of business. Peter Scott, chief executive of Dorset Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said: "This is the highlight of the county's business year, and this year's Awards had many outstanding entries, it was great to see such high quality business activity in the county. All finalists provide invaluable insights on achieving and sustaining success in today's business environment. Congratulations to all the winners!"
The Judge’s comment was: ‘A relentless success year on year, developed bravely to meet a specific town-wide economic objective, the festival organisers apply dedication, determination and a passion to continuously adapt and evolve. The Christchurch Food and Wine Festival has undoubtedly helped to create the climate in which many entrepreneurial activities have flourished, and to establish Christchurch as a credible gourmet centre’.
One of the Award sponsors and a judge in the category said that this year was a particularly credible year in which to win. There were numerous strong entries and going into the final round there was a short list of five, so even to have just made it into the top flight of three would have been commendable, but to win in such a strong year was even more amazing and shows how highly regarded the festival is County wide. Praise indeed. After the presentation, Tim Lloyd, our festival chairman, thanked each and every one of the committee for their hard work, dedication and commitment which made the Dorset Business Awards win a possibility.
The runners-up shortlisted for this category were:
•‘Bourne Again' by ThinkRLA - the campaign to announce the £45m new terminal at Bournemouth Airport.
• The Bournemouth Sevens Festival by Diamond Sports Events.
News item dated 13 December 2010
Finn UK National Championships to be held in Christchurch
Christchurch Sailing Club are set to host next years Finn Nationals Championships from 6th-8th May 2011. It is an International pre-Olympic event, which will attract lots of top-class competitors from around the World. Olympic 3 times Gold Medal Winner, Ben Ainslie, will be competing along with fellow UK athletes in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. The Finn has the best pedigree of all single-handed dinghy's having been selected to compete in every Olympic Games since 1952.
Christchurch looks forward to welcoming the media, competitors and spectators to the Town.
News item dated 9 December 2010
