Bath Welcomes the Special Olympics

There are only 5 days to go until Bath welcomes the country’s largest sports event for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Held every four years, the 9th Special Olympics National Summer Games will take place from 28 August to 1 September 2013.

Over the three days of competition, 1,700 athletes from England, Scotland and Wales will compete in 12 sports.

Accompanying the athletes will be 600 coaches, 3,500+ family members and supporters, 500 event volunteers and 120 sports officials. So the impact on the city and surrounding area should not be underestimated!

Last year's London 2012 Games showed how major sporting events can really profile a city and country - certainly Bath is this year basking in the halo effect of last year's Olympics, with many more international visitors being noted in the city.

I would hope that next week's Special Olympics can have a similar effect for Bath, with a legacy of showing how Bath and North East Somerset is itself a special, inclusive and welcoming visitor destination.

At Bath Tourism Plus, our work to support the Special Olympics dovetails with a programme that we are undertaking with VisitEngland which focuses on accessibility. Through this initiative, we are working with an number of local businesses, supporting them with accessibility audits and staff training, to enable them to better understand how to cater for people with mobility, hearing or visual needs. These businesses will then be supported with a specific marketing and PR campaign. 

There is certainly a compelling business case for making our tourism industry more accessible:

- Over one quarter (27%) of the UK population have a long-standing health problem or disability.
- Attracting the business of someone with access needs attracts the spend of their entire party.
- By 2025 more than a third (35%) of the UK’s population will be over the age of 55. The importance of meeting the needs of older people is increasing every year.
 - Tourism businesses that have improved their accessibility often report that people with access needs are very loyal.


The lessons for others? Well, if businesses set in an historic, Georgian, World Heritage city can address access issues, then there are solutions for businesses everywhere!

Looking forward to the Great Bath Feast

I have just finished editing the programme for this year’s Great Bath Feast and I can confidently say that Food Lovers are in for a real treat in Bath in October!

With already over 100 events planned and more than 150 businesses participating in Bath’s biggest ever ‘Feastival’, there’s sure to be something to tickle everyone’s palate. At the heart of the programme is a celebration of local restaurants and suppliers – a chance for independent businesses to make a song and dance about what they serve and how they prepare it.

From book signings to fine dining, from cookery demonstrations to restaurant promotions, this will be a Food Festival on a scale never before experienced in the city.

What’s caught my eye so far? Well, apart from the Great Bath Feast being prepared by Michelin–starred chefs in Bath Abbey (already sold out), the programme includes appearances by a list of culinary Royalty, including Mary Berry, Prue Leith and Raymond Blanc; an epicurean Safari Supper around three of Bath’s top restaurants in one evening; Bath’s baking heritage features at Sally Lunn’s with an appearance by ‘Bread Scientist’ Stan Cauvain; and No 1 Royal Crescent shines a light on puddings inspired by 18th Century recipes. On the drinks front, there are Cocktails & Canapes (Bath Priory); Gin & Tonics with Cucumber Sandwiches (Allium); and Australian Wines with Cello accompaniment (Bailbrook House); whilst the Great Western Portfolio Tasting gives a green light to taste over 100 wines!

New for this year is the Great Bath Feast Pavilion, which will allow a whole army of Chefs and Food Passionistas to take residence on Stall Street for demos and tastings. It will also see host to ‘Chilli Tuesday’ and ‘Bar Wars’, where local Mixologists will compete to produce Bath’s best cocktails.

The printed programme will be distributed from the beginning of September, but www.greatbathfeast.co.uk is already live, containing the full programme so far, with additional events being added daily. A series of restaurant promotions and the daily schedule for the Great Bath Feast Pavilion will be added over the next few weeks.

So, my advice to you is to start planning your diary for October, as tickets for many of the events are already in high demand.

Bon Appetit!