Cycle to the h.Art - Herefordshire’s Art week 11-19 September 2010

Many of the artists have chosen to live, work & be inspired by local landscapes, which means that their studios are tucked away down tiny lanes, well off the beaten track.   What better way to visit these studios – then by bike?  Wheely Wonderful Cycling has a three-day short break cycling holiday, which enables you to visit 18 of these studios over the 3 days.

Each day you cycle 15-22 miles along idyllic lanes, pausing to stop at studios, teashops & country inns.  Whilst you are cycling your luggage (and any art purchases) is moved on to your accommodation.  This three day, two night cycle tour is  £195p staying in guesthouse farmhouses, £220pp staying in hotels/inns.  The cycle tour package includes quality cycle hire; accommodation, luggage transfers, maps & full back up.  Holidays can be started on any day during H.art week.

Artists living along the route range from contemporary artists using computers & music, to stone carvers, with not a computer in sight and a keen interest in looking after Knucklas Castle (reputedly home of Queen Guinevere), or the artists of the Sidney Nolan foundation at the organic farmstead of The Rodd.

‘We Are England’ Photography Competition

Commonwealth Games England have launched the photography competition aimed at finding the ultimate photographs that best represent England in all of its glory.  The competition is to celebrate everything about England and ‘Englishness’ and the winners will be exhibited at a top London Art Gallery.

Photographs can be of anything at all that represents England – from a historic English landmark, to a traditional English game taking place in a park, or even photographs taken live at an English sporting event. All it needs to do is encompass the spirit of England to those entering.

Claire Jones, Senior Marketing Officer at Shropshire Tourism said, “This is a good opportunity for people in Shropshire to show what the county means to them, and to raise the profile of Shropshire in a nationwide competition. There are some amazing prizes on offer, including lunch hosted by double Olympic Gold Medallist Dame Kelly Holmes and Centre Court Wimbledon tickets.”

The ‘We Are England’ competition coincides with St. George’s day, and winners will also be invited to attend a champagne breakfast at the launch of the exhibition at the SW1 Gallery on Wednesday, April 21^st, and will be joined by some of the top Commonwealth Games England athletes and representatives. The exhibition of the winning photographs will run until Sunday, April 25^th. Entrance will be free of charge to the public.

The competition will be split into three categories - a professional photographer category, an amateur photographer category for the 16 and under age group, and an amateur photographer category for the 17 and over age group. Entries are to be emailed to weareengland@threepipe.co.uk, and although there should only be one photograph per email, there is no limit to the number of entries that can be submitted. The deadline is 9^th April. For full terms and conditions visit www.weareengland.org

Shropshire Cycle Forum

Have your say!

If you want to get involved in the development of cycling schemes in Shropshire, why not come along to the Shropshire Cycle Forum? This group is open to local cyclists and has an evening meeting every 3 months.

For more information please visist the Shropshire Council website: http://www.shropshire.gov.uk/cycling.nsf/open/AC0016DE034C86B18025753F0052C7BB

Online Mapping of All Shropshire's Cycle Routes

You can now look at Shropshire's entire cycle route network online using the new interactive map generated by Shropshire Council. Shropmap allows you to zoom into your area of interest to a very high level of detail or you can simply use it to see how the cycle routes connect across the whole of Shropshire. - To see all of Shropshire's cycle routes, including the National Cycle Network, click here

To see Shropshire's National Cycle Network only click here