Latest news with #GardenFestival
Daily Mail
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Steve Coogan reprises Alan Partridge alter-ego while opening his own SOUND BATH as he joins Charlotte Hawkins and Anthea Turner at Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival
Steve Coogan reprised his iconic Alan Partridge alter-ego as he celebrated the opening of his very own sound bath at the Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival on Monday. A far cry from the straight-laced tone of the inept broadcaster, Alan was on hand to present the opening of his own space, struggling to keep cool in the hot weather. The garden reflected the inept presenter's 'meticulous approach to design, aesthetics, and materials' and is described as being 'a tribute to structure, to durability, and to personal resonance.' The RHS invited visitors 'to experience a space that is both purposeful and forward-looking.' It's no surprise that the garden comes with a unique comedic twist, and the character's observations about his creation are channelled through sound waves. Designers Joe and Laura said: 'We have had a test-run of the garden during the pre-build stage, and the moment we heard Alan's voice come through the sculptural speakers - everything made sense, in a very funny, very Alan sort of way.' Alan appeared to be up to his usual antics as he was photographed speaking into a seemingly non-existent mic and fanning himself with headphones on. The designers admitted: 'We developed the idea that Alan would want to showcase his broadcasting mastery... ' Also in attendance at the garden festival on Monday were presenters Anthea Turner, 65, and Charlotte Hawkins, 50. They were a vision in bright floral colours as they took in some of the many displays at the show, which is running from July 1 to 6. The pair were all smiles as they posed with flowers from the exhibits, with this year's show featuring a new Gardens of Curiosity category - designed to be interactive and thought-provoking for visitors. Anthea stunned in a patterned pink dress, keeping herself cool in the UK's ongoing heatwave with a straw hat. Charlotte similarly wore a bright orange dress, adding a touch of glamour to the look with gold jewellery. Steve's appearance at the Alan Partridge Sound Garden comes after he recently admitted that the character became an albatross around his neck over time. Speaking to Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett for the seventh season of their Dish from Waitrose Podcast, he said: 'There was a time when I felt saddled with it. 'So, when I do Partridge, I do it through choice. Not because I have to.' 'I'm doing some stuff at the moment, and it does make me laugh, so… I make notes in my phone. 'I think, I have a funny idea, I'm on the train and I'm chuckling to myself. I will laugh at myself as a Partridge comes into my head, and put it in my phone, on my own. 'Or I'll look in a shop window and think about, I might say, "oh, what would Alan say about that. I'm still doing it now thirty years later, so it's like a condition now.' Steve's career-defining character earned him no less than six awards - the most recent coming in 2017 at the TV BAFTA's, where Alan Partridge's Scissored Isle secured Best Male Comedy Performance for the actor.
South Wales Argus
15-06-2025
- Entertainment
- South Wales Argus
Nostalgia: Look at these old photos of the Garden Festival!
The Garden Festival first opened back in 1992 and was one of the five national Garden Festivals. The festival was part of the then Tory government's initiative to revitalize areas impacted by the decline of heavy industry. It was built on the former steelworks land and dubbed 'The Garden Festival of Wales.' A dragon sculpture at the Garden Festival Ebbw Vale (Image: Lesley Rickard) Hundreds of visitors each day would flock to the site to experience the magic of the only garden festival in Wales. It was thought to have attracted at least two million visitors during its time. With memorable attractions such as Gryff the festival mascot, large dragon sculptures, a working railway, national flower shows and an abundance of shops there was something for everyone to enjoy! A man on a unicycle juggling flaming batons at the Garden Festival Ebbw Vale (Image: Lesley Rickard) The Garden Festival first opened on May 1, 1992, and sadly closed on October 4, 1992. Look at these cracking photos of the Garden Festival at the peak of its success!
Glasgow Times
17-05-2025
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Plans for homes at former Glasgow Garden Festival site
Glasgow City Council has received an application from Surplus Property Investments, which requests permission to develop empty land at Festival Gate – near the BBC's Pacific Quay headquarters. The old dockland was used for the Garden Festival in 1988, which attracted over four million visitors to the city. Since the end of the festival, several projects have been proposed for the site but none have resulted in development. The firm behind the current plans was granted permission for residential, retail, office and cafe use in 2020. READ MORE: Major airline announces new Glasgow Airport route - and kids can fly for free But the new application states, following the pandemic, the 'market demand for office space has reduced significantly further. 'This reduction in demand led the applicant to reconsider the consented development,' it adds. 'The revised proposals will see the removal of the office and café units… as well as an increase in the number of residential units, a reduction in parking spaces, and alterations to the design of the blocks.' The developers want to build a mix of two and three-bedroom flats, with 49 homes across two blocks. Plans state they 'do not seek a radical design departure from the prior consented scheme'. It is understood 35 homes were previously proposed. READ MORE: Child, 7, excluded from primary school after being 'caught with knife' A ground-floor retail unit is included and a rooftop terrace is planned on one of the blocks. There would be 32 car parking spaces. The site was once part of Prince's Dock, which ceased to operate as a commercial dock in 1970s and lay derelict until the eastern portion was infilled in the 1980s, and became part of the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988. Opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the festival is seen as 'a pivotal moment in the city's revival after its industrial decline.' It was held between April and September and attractions included the 73-metre Clydesdale Bank tower, a roller coaster and vintage trams. The wider festival site, which covered 120 acres, has been used for a range of developments, including the Glasgow Science Centre, the BBC headquarters and STV's offices.
The National
13-05-2025
- Business
- The National
Almost 50 homes could be built on site near BBC HQ in Glasgow
Glasgow City Council has received an application from Surplus Property Investments which requests permission to develop empty land at Festival Gate — near the BBC's Pacific Quay headquarters. The old dockland was used for the Garden Festival in 1988, which attracted over four million visitors to the city. Since the end of the festival, several projects have been proposed for the site but none have resulted in development. The firm behind the current plans was granted permission for residential, retail, office and café use in 2020. READ MORE: Andrew Bowie panned over 'contempt for scientific evidence' with climate comments But the new application states, following the pandemic, the 'market demand for office space has reduced significantly further'. 'This reduction in demand led the applicant to reconsider the consented development,' it adds. 'The revised proposals will see the removal of the office and café units… as well as an increase in the number of residential units, a reduction in parking spaces, and alterations to the design of the blocks.' (Image: Grant Murray Architects) The developers want to build a mix of two and three-bedroom flats, with 49 homes across two blocks. Plans state they 'do not seek a radical design departure from the prior consented scheme'. It is understood 35 homes were previously proposed. A ground floor retail unit is included and a rooftop terrace is planned on one of the blocks. There would be 32 car parking spaces. The site was once part of Prince's Dock which ceased to operate as a commercial dock in 1970s and lay derelict until the eastern portion was infilled in the 1980s, and became part of the Glasgow Garden Festival in 1988. Opened by Prince Charles and Princess Diana, the festival is seen as 'a pivotal moment in the city's revival after its industrial decline'. It was held between April and September and attractions included the 73-metre Clydesdale Bank tower, a roller coaster and vintage trams. The wider festival site, which covered 120 acres, has been used for a range of developments, including the Glasgow Science Centre, the BBC headquarters and STV's offices.
BBC News
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Meet the North Yorkshire woman who restores garden gnomes
It sounds like the start of a fairytale - at the end of a country garden, there's a hut full of little men in brightly coloured clothes, looking a little shabby around the all here, patiently waiting for a summer makeover from Caroline Smale, Great Ouseburn's gnome restorer, who is happy to give them a fresh lick of paint for little more than a month before the North Yorkshire village's annual Garden Festival, and residents are keen to give their garden gnomes some much-needed TLC. "I help get the gnomes into the best possible shape. I don't mind being known as doing daft things, as a bit of a quirky person. It's just a bit of fun," says Caroline of her restoration service. Hidden among the pots and plants in the garden is her own collection of around 40 figurines in different shapes and sizes. Caroline and her husband started to receive gnomes as presents from friends as "a bit of a joke" but over the years, they've become an important fixture of village has the job of mascot for the ladies' garden golf team, while others are involved in a long-running, and yet unresolved, mystery."It hasn't happened for a year or so, but the gnomes used to disappear and end up in someone else's garden and I'd have to go and collect them."I have a suspect but he will only say the gnomes followed him. But I always know where they are. A gnome will always come home."The restoration workshop was launched last year after she posted on the Great Ouseburn Facebook page, which is the place that "all the mad things that go on in the village" get advertised, according to Caroline. She was "quite surprised" by the response to her offer."It's been great because I've met loads of new people in the village; there are always people moving in that you don't know."Then they'll come round to the festival, so it works really well to raise interest, make money for the village and have a great day."Making sure to document the before and after, Caroline restores each gnome to its former glory, taking up to two days to finish each one. Her only request is that gnome-owners make a donation to the Great Ouseburn Garden Festival annual event sees residents open their gardens for the public to explore, alongside food stalls, performing choirs and classic car displays. Caroline will soon be hard at work painting in preparation for this year's event, which takes place on 1 June. This time her services have even been promoted on the festival's event page, meaning she could be busier than ever. However despite the steady stream of gnomes in need of a makeover, she doesn't think the village is under any threat of being overrun. "I don't think we've got any more than average – but I think maybe we've got a little more interest," she adds."It's just good fun. The gnome painting workshop is now open in my summerhouse. People can come round, drop their gnomes off and come back and collect them later, all spruced up." Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
