NEWS - OUT AND ABOUT

Big it Up Bulletin - November 2007

The latest update for Big It Up campaigners on major projects and good news stories for Leicester and Leicestershire, brought to you by Leicester Shire Promotions.

If you have any more Big It Up stories to tell of how you, your colleagues or organisation have championed the cause of Leicester and Leicestershire, please feed appropriate details through to Robin Pointon at Leicester Shire Promotions on 0116 225 4035 or email robin.pointon@l-p-l.com

All roads lead to the Colosseum

The new 800-seater Leicester Colosseum is set to be the biggest business venue in the city. After an investment of over £5 million, the centre will include a conference and banqueting centre on the top storey and a shopping mall housing 32 units on the ground floor. The scheme, which will create about 50 jobs, will see the 8,000 sq ft former cinema split into three levels, with ground-floor shops selling everything from jewellery, clothes, food and gifts. Based at the heart of the thriving Asian community in Melton Road, the 1930s art deco building is listed as one of Leicester's buildings of historical interest.

Local dignitaries to open multi-million pound Business School extension

A £4 million, environmentally-friendly extension to Loughborough University's Business School was opened in November. Designed by CPMG Architects and built by Willmott Dixon Construction Ltd, the building has been designed from the outset to be low energy. Its integral air-ducting system, together with controlled ventilation openings and natural convection, enable even temperatures to be maintained in the building without the use of air conditioning.

Airport goes green

East Midlands Airport has been named the world's leading eco-friendly airport at the 14th annual World Travel Awards. The airport won praise for its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2012 and plans to install wind turbines to generate 10 per cent of on-site electricity.

Festival greener than Glastonbury

De Montfort Hall's Big Session has won the Greener Festival Award at the UK Festival Awards. The Big Session, which took place at De Montfort Hall in June, beat festivals including Glastonbury, the Big Green Gathering and the Big Chill to win this award.

Tigers set to grow

Leicester Tigers have revealed more details of plans to create a 30,000 seater stadium which includes a hotel and multi-storey car park. The club is preparing to submit proposals for the scheme to Leicester City Council. It includes plans for a three or four-star hotel with 180 bedrooms, a car park for up to 500 cars and new accommodation for Leicester College.

Hilarious line-up for Comedy Festival's 15th birthday

Leicester Comedy Festival is turning 15 and the world's best stand up comics are coming to the party. From 8-17 February 2008, over 60,000 people will attend over 230 events in 60 venues across Leicestershire, in the funniest comedy and arts event of the year.

The programme for the 2008 festival is launched on January 18 and contains the cream of today's comic talent. Taking to Leicestershire stages through the festival include Frankie Boyle, Jimmy Carr, Tanyalee Davis, Rich Hall, Stewart Lee, Josie Long, Michael McIntyre, Andy Parsons, Paul Sinha, Dave Spikey and 2007 if.comedy nominees Ivan Brackenbury and Pappy's Fun Club. Information about the Leicester Comedy Festival found by visiting www.comedy-festival.co.uk

School prize for global links

A secondary school has won an award in recognition of its work around the world. Rushey Mead school in Leicester won the International School Award thanks to its links across Europe, Africa and Asia. These include Rushey Mead School in Bhuj, India, which was funded by Rushey Mead Foundation after the Gujarat earthquake. The International School Award is held for three years, after which a school must re-apply to the British Council.

Julie's big break

It is one of the hottest seats in British News Broadcasting and a woman born-and-bred in Leicestershire is taking the job. Julie Etchingham will be the new News at Ten anchor with Sir Trevor McDonald when ITN relaunches the programme next year. The journalist and presenter was raised in Kirby Muxloe and attended Leicester's English Martyrs Catholic School, and made the first steps of her career in journalism at the Leicester Mercury.

Airport wins top industry award

East Midlands Airport has won Best UK Regional Airport at the prestigious Travel Bulletin 2007 Star Awards. Airports including Birmingham and Manchester were also nominated in the category. The Travel Bulletin Star Awards is one of the most prestigious events in the travel industry's calendar, designed to celebrate the achievements of the travel trade.

Louder Than Words accreditation

Leicester City Council's sheltered housing service has won an award for the improvements made to help deaf and hard of hearing tenants and visitors. The council is being handed the RNID's Louder Than Words accreditation for work carried out at its 14 sheltered housing schemes.

Jobs boost in city thanks to regeneration project

Over 50 jobs are set to be created in the city, as business advisors Cooper Parry announced plans to expand after becoming the first tenants at Colton Square, in Leicester's New Business Quarter.

The company have taken the ground floor of One Colton Square, the first stage of the New Business Quarter to be completed. The new office is 8,000 square feet larger than the company's previous office, creating the room to increase their workforce as the company grows in the city. New staff will be joining existing teams and developing new service offerings.

Vulcan flies again in Leicestershire

The Vulcan bomber - that relic of the Cold War era - has taken to the skies for the first time in 14 years. The Avro Vulcan XH558 was the last of the aircraft to fly in 1993 when it was hangared at an airport in Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire. It was returned to flight after a £6 million restoration project.

World record breaking archer is on target for Beijing

A University of Leicester law student took the gold medal for Archery at the International Paralympic Committee World Championships -and also broke three world records during the competition. Danielle Brown suffers from RSD (reflex sympathetic dystrophy), meaning she experiences chronic pain in her feet.

Medals galore as county stars shine in Shanghai

Leicestershire athletes brought home an excellent medals haul from the World Summer Games in Shanghai. The athletes combined to win 10 gold medals, seven silvers and two bronzes from a successful event.

Leicester scheme wins first prize in UK competition

An idea to help older and vulnerable people live more active lives has won first prize in a national competition for a De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) academic. Eric Goodyer's proposal for the next generation of telecare technology was named the top entry in the UK Satellite Navigation 2007 Challenge and came second in the European stage of the competition, the European Satellite Navigation Competition 2007.

Acoustics and vibration project wins Loughborough student national award

A Loughborough student has been presented with a prestigious national Science, Engineering and Technology (SET) Award. Ewan Porteous, who was based in the University's Department of Aeronautical and Automotive Engineering before graduating in July with first class honours, won the award in the category ‘Best Maritime Technology Student', sponsored by The Lloyd's Register Educational Trust. It was in recognition of his final year project developing new ideas in acoustics and vibration that could be applied to maritime technology. Organised by the World Leadership Forum, the SET awards are Britain and Ireland's most important awards for science, engineering and technology undergraduates.

Fastest car in the world is made in Leicestershire

British supercar manufacturer Ultima from Hinckley in Leicestershire, has celebrated its 15th anniversary in style by shattering the lap record on the Top Gear test track. With their very own benchmark driver at the helm, the independently figured time for the Ultima is so fast that, in a head to head race with a Ferrari Enzo, the 720bhp GTR would lap it every 12 laps.

National coverage for Big It Up campaigner

Big It Up campaigner, Tiny Deol, from Curryslim has further raised her profile nationally following an appearance in The Times newspaper in a business feature focusing on ‘entrepreneurs who have used a traditional business as a starting point for an idea with a twist'.

Market is blooming

Leicester Market has won a prestigious Judges' Award from East Midlands in Bloom 2007. Traders and market staff went all-out this summer to make Leicester Market a blooming marvellous focal point on the judges' route through the city as part of this year's competition.

Restaurants signing up

Italian restaurant, Carluccio's is the latest to announce that it will open a branch in the city's new £350 million shopping centre. Highcross Leicester is now 75 per cent full with retailers and restaurants and three new companies signed up for space in the new development in the same week recently.

New world Bollywood dance champ

First he wowed judges to become a UK Bollywood dance star, now Hiten Mistry from Rushey Mead, Leicester, is a world champion. The 18 year old was crowned the winner of the international Boogie Woogie competition after beating hundreds of hopefuls from across the globe. The reality show final, which saw winners from countries including South Africa, Dubai and America showing off their dance moves, was filmed at Leicester's Peepul Centre and will be broadcast on Sony Entertainment Television soon.

Go ahead for new Digital Media Centre

Leicester's state-of-the-art £21.5 million digital media centre has been given the green light by city councillors. The DMC will replace the Phoenix, providing three cinema screens with 225, 125 and 30 seats. Along with a digital exhibition space called ‘The Cube', it will also house digital production facilities, and through De Montfort University's involvement, will benefit from the latest research in media and related technologies. The building will have space for over 68 new businesses, continuing the success of Leicester Creative Business Depot and there will be a café/bar open to the public. It will also have 63 high quality city-living apartments, all using the very latest environmental technology to help make the whole scheme environmentally sustainable. Work is due to start on site later this autumn. The building is due to open to the public in 2009.

Leicester breaks into top world rankings

A new league table of world university rankings has seen the University of Leicester break into the top 200- and placed in the top 100 in Europe. The table published in the Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) sees Leicester climb up 54 places to rank 185 - one of only two universities from of the whole of the East Midlands to appear in the table. Leicester is ranked 78th in Europe.

UK's brainiest family

A county family has been named the brainiest in Britain. The Chouhans, from Humberstone in Leicester, claimed the title in a national arithmetic competition, run by Nintendo.

We're all southerners!

For those who have not seen the papers, a new North/South line has been drawn up. A university study has found the most accurate way of dividing Britain is in terms of health and wealth. "The decline of manufacturing in the Midlands means Coventry and Birmingham (and Nottingham according to the map) are now northern in characteristics, while Leicester is more associated with London."

Celebrating local produce

Budgens supermarket in Mountsorrel is a real local food champion. The cheese counter stocks Sparkenhoe, the only Red Leicester cheese made in Leicestershire, and Stilton from Quenby Hall. In the dairy section, there's yoghurt from Manor Farm, in Thrussington. Pheasants from Philip Cox of The Game Larder are in the chillers. There's Swithland Water, bottled only a few miles down the road, in the drinks section, and mushrooms from Livesey's, in Packington, near Ashby, with the fruit and vegetables. Managers are still on the lookout for local producers who can supply the store with more products, scouting around farmers' markets and local shows.

And finally...

The Leicester Mercury is the official Big It Up media partner, so please look out for further updates in The Business supplement, published on Tuesdays with the Leicester Mercury. To sign up to receive Leicester Mercury's Business Bulletin - a quick fire weekly email update on business news in Leicestershire and Rutland - visit www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/businessbulletin

More information on Big it Up is available on the Leicester Shire Promotions website. Please click here to visit the Big it Up webpage.

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