Tea With The Trust

Well, The Annual Dinner and Divali Party were both huge successes but now we come to our final event of the year!  Tea with the Trust is a traditional high tea with a Christmassy twist! 

We will be serving delicious sandwiches, tea and cakes and you’ll get the chance to taste Carl’s famous Christmas cake made from a 1920’s recipe….

The Winter Gardens Trust have partnered up with Crown Entertainment Centres to provide a huge real Christmas tree in the Floral Hall this year too, so come and listen to Carols around the tree on the evening and see the Mayor switch on the lights!

We’ve partnered up with Give a Little Help a Lot this year and we will have a collection point for you to drop off gifts and treats for those families who are struggling to make ands meet at Christmas.  They are looking for:

·        Toys & Games

·        Books & Puzzles

·        Gift sets of toiletries

·        Clothing

·        Festive Food - Selection Boxes, Tins of Biscuits, Christmas Cakes and Puddings etc.

Remember, all items should be new with tags and it would be useful if the donations are not wrapped (so we can see who would be best to give it to)!

It’s going to be a great evening and tickets are just £10.50 (available from the Winter Gardens Box Office) so get your woollies on and join us for an evening of festive fun on the 6th December from 5.30pm!

 No better than he ought to be…… Carl after the Winter Gardens Trust Dinner wearing a tiara from the       Tower Company Collection

Big Divali Party!!!

Tickets are on sale for Blackpool’s very own Big Divali Party.  In association with Nritya Sangam and Aunty Social, the Winter Gardens Trust is hosting a glittering night of Indian music, food and dance.

With a line up of fantastic entertainment, including Bhangra superstar H Dhami and international DJ Squad Supreme Dream, the night is set to be an incredible mix of the traditional and popular culture.

The ticket price of £15.00 includes a three course traditional hot Indian buffet and the chance to get close to one of the UK’s biggest Indian pop stars, as well as the chance to shake your stuff to hot Bollywood dance music until the early hours…..

What are you waiting for…….?

Torchlit Tours – GET BOOKING!

Have you booked for one of our Torchlit Tours yet?  If not, get your skates on, our guinea pigs at the Winter gardens Trust Dinner last night loved them and so will you…..!

Don't forget, you need to bring your own torch (no mobile phone torches allowed) and the tours aren't really suitable for very young childeren.

Contact the Winter gardens Box Office on 01253 629600

Or visit the Winter Gardens Website at http://www.blackpoollive.co.uk/WINTERGARDENSTRUST2012.html

Competition Time

 

We are giving away two tickets to Decembers Tea With The Trust Christmas event in the stylish Mazzei Café.  6th of December, Christmas High Tea with Carols and a lovely tree in the Floral Hall, what more could you want....?

Just answer the following three questions about Andrew Mazzei to get your name in the draw. We’ve asked the lovely Elaine Smith of Blackpool Civic Trust to pull the name out of the bag and we’ll be letting the lucky winner know at the beginning of November….  So;

·        What was Mazzei’s first name?

·        Where was he born?

·        Which was the biggest room he designed for the Winter Gardens?

 

Send your answers to wintergardenstrust@gmail.com and all correct responses will go into the hat!

Deadline for Trustee Applications

Just a gentle reminder that the deadline for applications to become a Trustee is fast approaching.  You’ll need to have your form with us by 5pm on Friday, so what are you waiting for!

Christmas Is Coming…..

Breaking news….. the Winter Gardens Trust is teaming up with Crown Entertainment’s Centres Ltd to buy a big Christmas Tree for the Floral Hall this year. 

The tree will act as a collection point for gifts aimed at giving those less fortunate a better Christmas through the Give a Little Help a Lot campaign….

Who thinks we should have mince pies under the Tree when it goes up?

How to get your hands on our lovely Tickets…

We’re just having tickets printed for all the forthcoming events and they should be available to buy from the Winter Gardens Box Office on Church Street later next week.  Remember though, if you use a credit card, there will be a small processing charge.

Ticket available from next week will be for

Annual Dinner 25^th Oct                                   £40

Torchlight Tours 29, 30, 31^st Oct                     £6.50/£3.50

Big Divali Party 10^th Nov                                 £20.00

Tea With The Trust 6^th Dec                               £10.50

So get booking and support us!

2013 Programme of Events & Projects

Well, having just finalised our programme for the last quarter of 2012 we will be looking to announce the spring programme for 2013 at the annual dinner.  There will be some great events coming up so if you want to be in the know first, get booking your tickets ….……

We are also hoping to welcome the new trustees at the dinner and announce details of our upcoming membership scheme along with more information about the potential projects fro next year.

Even if you can’t make the dinner, you should log on after the event to catch the news items here on the blog.

Annual Dinner – More Details

In honour of the Diamond Jubilee, we’ve opted for a Diamond theme.

This is Blackpool so we know you ladies have tons of bling to choose from.  Best Tiara will get a prize and if you’re looking to lay your hands on a little princess number check out Kiss and Make Up on topping Street or Secret Garden on Cedar Square.  We have it on good authority that both stock a bit of dazzle….

Gentlemen, for you its simple; black tie is the order of the evening and the only decoration we require are your companions (but don’t forget your wallet)…

Annual Dinner Bookings

You can now reserve places for the Annual Dinner by emailing us at wintergardenstrust@gmail.com.   

Tickets are £40.00 and will be available from the Winter gardens Booking Office from the 14^th September where you will also be able to pay*.  Alternatively if you wish to book by post, you can send a cheque made payable to The Winter Gardens Trust to our office at:

The Winter Gardens Trust

81 Central

77-81 Church Street

Blackpool

FY1 1HU

Your tickets will be sent out to you by return post.

*If paying by credit card there will be small fee

Application Process Open!

So do you think you’ve got what it takes?  We’ve opened the process for applications for additional Trustees… 

At the moment, the Council has a small board of nominated official looking after the trust on a day to day basis but wants expand the range of skills at the Trust’s disposal in the move to full independence. 

The Trust is looking for exceptional people with established skills and experience in areas like fundraising, volunteer organisation, finance and business administration. 

If you’re interested and would like to get a copy of the job description and application form, send an email to wintergardenstrust@gmail.com or write to; The Winter Gardens Trust, 81 Central, 81-77 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HU

Trustee Update

Just to let everyone know that we’re shifting the dates back for opening up applications for new Trustees.  Because we want to reach the biggest audience, we’re waiting for the issue date for the next Heritage Alliance e-bulletin so the new opening date will be the 22^nd August.

Put the date in your diary……

And another one….

Our Autumn/Winter programme is really coming together now! 

Join us for a Christmas high tea in high style at the Mazzei Café in Blackpool Winter Gardens on the evening of December 6^th.

You’ll have the opportunity to taste Carl’s famous Christmas cake along with other traditional treats and there will be Christmas Carols and a collection point for this year’s ‘Give a Little, Help a lot’ campaign, bringing smiles to families who will struggle to make ends meet this Christmas.

Tickets are £10.50 and can be reserved in advance by email at wintergardenstrust@gmail.com

Get booking guys….

Halloween at the Winter gardens

Another event announcement!  The Winter Gardens Trust proudly presents torchlight tours a fantastic way to see the historic Winter Gardens and hear about all the ghosts that haunt its corridors…..

Booking opens on the 1^st September (we will be reminding you again) but you’ll need to be quick as there’s only 30 places on each tour….

Do you want to be a member?

Are you interested in becoming a friend of the Trust?  The Trustees want to set up a membership scheme, which will offer exclusive access to a member’s area of our new website, special members only events, member forums, offers on public events and much more. Let us know what you think by commenting on this post.  We want you to be a part of this!

Winter Gardens Trust 2nd Annual Gala Dinner

Well, here it is; the poster for the 2^nd Annual Gala Dinner in aid of the Winter Gardens Trust. We’ve decided to go black tie this year for a bit of glitz so dust off your best bling….

After a brilliant meal last year Heathcote’s are again catering for the event and we’ll be releasing the menu in a couple of weeks, so you can see what’s on offer.

Tickets this year are slightly cheaper due to us driving some hard bargains and we are indebted to Crown Entertainment Centres Ltd. and Blackpool Council for letting us use the space for free and providing equipment and support on the evening.

So…. Tickets are £40.00 each which covers welcome drinks, the meal and music throughout the evening from the Cezanne Ensemble and our virtually resident harpist, Maxine Molin Rose. We're going to try our hand at a Top Notch Tombola.... all the very stylish prizes are worth between 30 and £50 and we're hoping to give you a 1 in 5 chance of winning.  Tickets for the Tombola will be £10 but the odds are good!

If you’re interested in booking (and bear in mind there are limited places in the Floral Hall) email wintergardenstrust@gmail.com.  What are you waiting for?...

Singing In the Rain – Floral Hall Spectacular

No, its not another leak (hopefully they’ve all been sorted with the superb new roof). It’s the Pollinations with their amazing floral installation inspired by Gene Kelly’s Singin' In The Rain as the Hollywood star is immortalised in blooms in Blackpool Winter Gardens' Floral Hall.

The Pollinations is a new floral art display commissioned by Marketing Blackpool from an idea created by Showbizworks and hopefully they’ll be returning each year to create something new and spectacular for the space.  

Suppliers working on then project include Plant World at Myerscough College and BWD of Lytham.  Well done everyone! 

Requests!

Just because so many of you asked...here's what the whole Blog Page background looks like..... 

2012 Annual Dinner

We’re currently busy with planning a range of fundraising events for the Winter Gardens Trust including our Annual Dinner.  We will be confirming the date and theme within the next few days so watch out for the information coming up.  Places will be limited to 180 so you'd better be quick!

Just to remind you what last years exotic setting looked like, here are a couple of pictures!

Blackpool’s New Summer Season… at Wellington Arch

It’s not just the Olympics that will attract visitors to London this summer – but a unique view of Blackpool.

Our world famous resort is featuring in a new exhibition which celebrates the architecture of entertainment - Blackpool style!

Blackpool: Wonderland of the World is the title of an exhibition, the exhibition opened at the Quadriga Gallery, Wellington Arch, Hyde Park Corner on  4 July and it runs until 27 August. It’s set to celebrate the heritage, history, magic and glamour of the resort, which at one time was rivalled only by London in the variety of shows on offer.

The exhibition is being staged in partnership with Blackpool Council and will focus on two of the Council’s top venues – Blackpool Tower and the Winter Gardens. Using posters, prints and photographs from the archives, the exhibition charts the history of these listed buildings from their design and construction through to recent restoration work and plans for the future.

The Silver Tower (usually on the Silver Landing at Blackpool Tower) is the star attraction but the Winter Gardens is well represented with stunning new photography by Sean Conboy and a range of remarkable images and artifacts.

The exhibition also provides as window on Blackpool’s  remarkable development  as a resort. At the beginning of the 19^th century it was a small village with fewer than 500 inhabitants. A century later it had claimed its place as a top seaside resort and show business capital with three piers and 20,000 theatre seats a night.

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Blackpool revolutionised the British holiday, providing people with an all-encompassing entertainment experience. This exhibition celebrates the architecture of the quintessential British seaside resort and looks at the role this heritage can play in Blackpool’s future.” 

And if the exhibition wasn't enough..... Look out for the two illuminated crown's on the Wellington Arch itself, made by Blackpool Illuminations as part of the exhibition and the first time the Illuminations have ever been to London.  See the image below for the amazing effect...

So... what are you waiting for???????

Opening Times: 

The Quadriga Gallery and Wellington Arch is open Wednesdays to Sundays and on Bank Holidays, 10am-5pm. The Arch may close to install new exhibitions, please call in advance or check the website  for latest information.

 www.english-heritage.org.uk/wellingtonarch

Prices:

Adult: £4.00

Concession: £3.60

Child: £2.40

Admission is free for English Heritage members.

Location:

Wellington Arch (W1J 7JZ) stands between Hyde Park and Green Park. The nearest underground station is Hyde Park Corner (Piccadilly Line).

Trustees Wanted!

The Winter Gardens Trust will be soon be advertising for Trustees to guide and direct the work of the Trust moving forward.

Do you have the kind of skills and experience we need?

Applications open on the 6th August and Close on the 22nd August so if you want to work with us email on wintergardenstrust@gmail.com for more details or an application form. 

Alternatively, you can write to us at:

The Winter Gardens Trust
81 Central

77-81 Church Street

Blackpool

Here We Are!

Welcome to the new blog site for the Winter Gardens Trust!  This will be linked to our social media sites to keep you updated on activities, news and all things Winter Gardens.

We're hoping to provide links to the Blackpool Live site so you can see what's on at the Winter Gardens and links through to VisitBlackpool so you can see what's coming up across the town.

Watch this space!!