Event Reports

Occasional reports from events held in, and around, the parish of Bidford.

Sporting Legacy Boost for Bidford Parish Council - March 2012

Bidford on Avon Parish Council has secured £50,000 of Olympic legacy funding from Sport England's Inspired Facilities Fund.

The Inspired Facilities fund is part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme that is bringing the magic of a home Olympic and Paralympic Games into communities across the country. Every sports facility that receives funding will carry the London 2012 Inspire mark – celebrating the link to the Games.

The project aims to modernise the sports pavilion through upgrading the changing rooms with flooring, walls, benches lighting and tiling, new showers, insulation, new heating system and new roof.

Sport England's Chair, Richard Lewis, said: "This investment will create will be a fantastic sporting legacy for Bidford on Avon.

"This fund has really hit the mark with sports clubs in Warwickshire. It shows we're offering the legacy that people want for their local community. For hundreds of clubs and tens of thousands of people, 2012 will be the year their local sports facilities got better."

Chris Hill, said: "Bidford on Avon Parish Council is delighted to secure the first Inspired Facilities grant, which will enable us to upgrade the quality of the Sports Pavilion. It is the key sporting facility in the village; it will be a fitting legacy of the 2012 Olympics' legacy."

The project is one of 350 local community sports groups who have been offered a total of £17.4 million in Olympic legacy funding through the Inspired Facilities Fund.

The investments announced today will breathe new life into tired facilities that can be unattractive to sports participants, difficult to maintain and run. Grants have also been offered to convert existing buildings into venues that are suitable for grassroots sport and to allow local clubs to buy the facilities they use.

Minister for Sport and the Olympics, Hugh Robertson MP, said: "We want to use the Olympic and Paralympics this summer to inspire a generation to get involved in sport across the country. This is why as part of the £135 million Places People Play legacy programme we invited community sports clubs to apply for funding to upgrade their facilities."

Inspired Facilities has been designed to be as simple and accessible as possible for potential applicants, with a shorter form and a catalogue of ready-made options to choose from. This is the first of five funding rounds of Inspired Facilities; the second round opened on 1 February 2012, offering hundreds more local groups the chance to bid for a further £10 million of funding.

Places People Play is being delivered by Sport England. We are working in partnership with the British Olympic Association (BOA) and the British Paralympic Association (BPA) with the backing of The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and the London 2012 Inspire mark.

LOCOG Chair, Seb Coe, said: "This is a fantastic funding project that will deliver a real legacy from the London 2012 Games. It will provide a whole range of sporting opportunities for young people through improved facilities and will I hope inspire them to take up sport."

The announcement was welcomed by the Local Government Association. Cllr Chris White, Chair of its Culture, Tourism and Sport Board, said: "In spite of budget pressures, councils are striving to keep supporting local sports clubs and want to work with them in creating a lasting and meaningful Olympic and Paralympic legacy. This much-needed funding will hopefully act as a catalyst to further strengthen local partnerships between councils and sports clubs and get more people playing sport."

The photos show Nadhim Zahawi MP (centre) along with Mike Gerrard and Chris Hill and children from Bidford Sports Club as they are presented with a cheque by Pat Brosnan of Sport England at Bidford Sports Pavilion.

Photos and text from the Sport England Press Office.

Buy in Bidford 2011

The Buy in Bidford event took place on Saturday 16 July 2011 at the Crawford Memorial Hall. It was supported by Bidford-on-Avon Parish Council. There were a number of participating businesses offering cards, plants, books, gifts etc. All had something in common: they are all Bidford based.

Photos by Elisabeth Uggerløse.

Christmas Tree Festival 2010

St Laurence Church held its annual Christmas Tree Festival on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 December 2010.

Scarecrow Tree by Steve Haywood and Rosie Lippett.		Save Our Fire Station Tree by Bidford Fire Station.

Here are the reults of 2010's competition:

Overall Winner
Slippery Slope - Home Farm Trust; Orchard View

Individuals/Families
Winner: Beach Tree - M Stanley and A Paddock
Runner-up: 71 degrees North - Hazel Mumford

Groups/Organisations
Winner: Slippery Slope - Home Farm Trust; Orchard View
Runner-up: Povertree - Home Farm Trust; Resource Centre

Businesses
Winner: For Primrose - Art Depot
Runner-up: Holly and Ivy - Riverside Florists

Children
Winner: Christmas Wishes for the World - Dunnington Primary
Runner-up: Comenius Tree - Temple Grafton Primary

Unassisted Children
Winner: Snow in the Dark - Andrea Buxton
Runner-up: Santa Paws - Honor Smith

Christmas Lights Switch-On 2010

Bidford Christmas Lights presented the annual 'switch on' on Sunday 28 November 2010. This year's celebrity was Toyah Willcox.

Photos by Pete Batacanin.

Bidford Duck Race 2010

The annual Duck Race, organised by the Bidford Christmas Lights committee, was held at the Big Meadow on Sunday 27 June 2010. The race was sponsored by Astwood Designs and the proceeds from the event help maintain the village Christmas lights.

Photos by Pete Batacanin.

Vintage Gathering 2010

This event was held on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 May 2010, on the Big Meadow in Bidford-on-Avon. Over 200 exhibitors were present, and all proceeds went to the St Laurence Church Roof Appeal.

Additional photos by Pete Batacanin.

Public March - Sunday 6 December 2009

The public march and rally against the fire service cuts started at Warwick Racecourse (Hill Close Gardens Entrance) and progressed to Shire Hall, Warwick Market Square.

See reports from older events on our Previous Event Reports page.