Blackpool Blackpool’s special history is rooted in its significance as the world’s first working-class seaside resort and its development into a unique centre of popular entertainment.

Today, still synonymous with fun and excitement, Blackpool constitutes an exceptional cultural landscape – a living, evolving expression of the industrial archaeology of the popular seaside holiday.

 Although always at the forefront of innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship (the town’s motto is ‘Progress’), Blackpool continues to retain its core identity and ambience and to sustain its distinctive atmosphere of revelry and participation, with an impressive array of surviving architectures, built environments and entertainment traditions dedicated to the provision of leisure and enjoyment. Blackpool is now at a critical point in its historical development, looking to reinvent itself through a new masterplan, pursued through the urban regeneration company ReBlackpool. The Blackpool Resort Masterplan sets out an ambitious vision that will transform the town by redefining Blackpool’s future as a top-quality, world-class resort destination, improving the lives of residents and visitors alike. The trick will be to combine modernisation and the search for new markets with an appeal to tradition, identity and the heritage of the recent past and to encourage high quality architecture and redevelopment that responds to and respects the history, heritage and special character of the place.

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The first The first Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival was held in 2005 and its aim was raise local awareness and appreciation of the unique heritage of the Ironbridge Gorge. Each year, the Festival has gone from strength to strength and last year several thousand visitors, along with traders and entertainers, came together in the centre of Ironbridge to enjoy the stunning surroundings of the Gorge on a beautiful autumn day.

The 2008 Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Festival will be held in Ironbridge on Saturday 27 –  Sunday 28 September. The weekend is set to be an exciting and enjoyable time for residents, businesses and visitors as we celebrate the area’s unique heritage. Also, this year we have the added attraction of a light show, organised by the Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust, to mark the regional launch of the Cultural Olympiad, and some of you will already have received details of this from IGMT.

The celebrations will kick off at dusk on the Friday when the Museum of the Gorge, the Iron Bridge and Bedlam Furnaces will be illuminated in an exciting and attractive display, which will be repeated on the Saturday evening. The light show will end at 10.00pm each evening.

On Saturday and Sunday, the World Heritage Festival will take place and this will involve a wide variety of entertainment, activities and displays. As a result of the recent flooding, the original plan to use Dale End Park for the Festival has had to change and the activities will now be focused on Dale End car park (Victorian Funfair), Merrythought (entertainment, stalls, art exhibition and displays) and The Wharfage (street market, on Saturday only). There will also be a Flower Festival and concerts in Jackfield Church. In addition, a major piece of public art, depicting the Iron Bridge and produced by an artist from Ironbridge working with local schoolchildren, will be on display during the event. More information about the event is available on www.ironbridgeheritagefestival.org.uk.

The Festival weekend is an important event for Ironbridge. It is an opportunity for the local community to enjoy a fun day on their doorstep; it will give a boost to local businesses and it will encourage more visitors to the area.

The Festival is organised by a partnership of local organisations and businesses and co-ordinated by Ken Toyne. The aim of the event is to raise local awareness and appreciation of the World Heritage Site and encouraging more people to enjoy the unique attractions that the area offers.

The main funders of the event are the European Regional Development Fund, Birse Civils and Telford & Wrekin Council.

The Nord-Pas de Calais’s Centre Historique Minier and CILAC came together to jointly organize an international symposium relating to all types of mining operations in France and abroad. Historians, geographers, heritage curators, engineers and political leaders will compare points of view and experiences, hoping to establish a detailed picture of research into mining landscapes and learn
about the first results of heritage management of these landscapes.

For more information please follow this link: http://www.paysvert-paysnoir.com/telechargement/Programme_colloque_CHM-CILAC_EN.pdf

If you are interested in this conference, you might also be interested in reading about Masters student, Leonor Medeiros, report on sharing experiences of mining heritage in the UK and Portugal.