This prestigious event will comprise an awards dinner and ceremony for 300 delegates from across these industries.

 

A total of twelve awards will be presented during the course of the evening, including categories for excellence in customer service, most promising student, best ambassador for the industry, team of the year, and a lifetime achievement award.

 

The Nottinghamshire STARS Awards will aim to highlight achievements in skills, training, retention and service within these industries, raising public awareness and helping to generate a positive career image.

 

In partnership with a range of public and private sector sponsors, the GNP will provide £15,000 of funding to help stage the awards.

 

 

This impressive five storey building was originally constructed in 1873 and houses the only remaining twin cylinder vertical steam winder in the country, which is widely acknowledged by enthusiasts as a classic of its era.

 

The Winding Engine House is also a Grade II* listed building and is currently on the English Heritage Buildings at Risk Register.

 

In order to preserve this piece of Nottingham's industrial heritage for future generations, it is planned to firstly restore and then transform the Winding Engine House into a visitor attraction by installing a glass lift to enable easy viewing. A six minute ride with accompanying audio commentary will display the workings of the winding engine in both comfort and safety.

 

Next to Winding Engine House is the colliery's derelict Victorian Dynamo House, which once provided electricity to both the pit and the nearby Bestwood village. As part of the project, it is also intended to convert this building into a multi-functional space for use by visitors, students and the local community.

 

Once redeveloped, the Dynamo House will offer:

 

 

The refurbished Dynamo House will also provide a new base for the Bestwood Country Park Rangers, locating them closer to the local community and providing increased security for the site.

 

In partnership with both the Heritage Lottery Fund and Nottinghamshire County Council, the GNP will provide £295,000 of capital funding to help restore the Bestwood Winding Engine House and Dynamo House.

 

 

The Robin Hood Up Close exhibition will feature the latest audio-visual technologies and will include purpose made presentations by the cast, behind the scenes interviews and an exploration of the making of the programme.

 

Visitors will enter the exhibition through a mock-up of Sherwood Forest and will meet each of the programme’s characters through a series of specially written pieces before then gaining an insight into the filming of the series via a number of displays featuring props, costumes, special effects and stunts.

 

In order to help stage the exhibition, the GNP will provide £35,000 of capital funding to Nottingham Castle to meet its design and installation costs.

 

For further information on Robin Hood Up Close visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/robinhood/home.asp.

 

The aim of the festival is to explore the business potential, educational value and cultural significance of interactive entertainment, and involves far more than the simple playing of videogames themselves.

 

Following the success of the 2006 GameCity pilot, which attracted significant national and international publicity, a second festival is planned for 24-28 October 2007.

 

Held in venues across Nottingham, this year's programme will include ground-breaking games, premier screenings, music and exclusive appearances from the gaming industry's top names. Key speakers at GameCity 2007 will include Alexey Pajitnov, the inventor of Tetris, and the acclaimed Japanese designer Keita Takahashi, the father of Katamari Damacy.

 

In partnership with Nottingham Trent University and a wide range of public and private sector organisations, the GNP will provide £139,000 of funding to help stage the 2007 GameCity festival.

 

For further information on GameCity visit www.gamecity.org.

 

 

In 2001, a Lace Market Heritage Trail was developed to highlight these cultural offerings to visitors. Narrated by the actress Joanna Lumley, the current trail guides visitors around the Lace Market, providing information on eight important buildings located within the quarter.

 

In order to update the existing trail and utilise the latest digital recording technologies, it is planned to digitise the current audio guide and then supplement its contents with additional information on many of the new cultural attractions and points of interest that are being developed within the quarter. It is also intended that the guide will be updated on a regular basis to provide the latest up-to-date information for visitors on the quarter's offerings.

 

Once compeleted, the new digitised audio guide will be available to download directly from Nottingham related tourism websites, while visitors will also be able to hire headsets from the Galleries of Justice and then walk round the trail.

 

In order to digitise and update the Lace Market Heritage Audio Trail, the GNP will provide £24,000 of capital and revenue funding.