News Release                        29th July 2013

OXO’s Restaurant on The Mount opens at Mount Royale hotel York
- family favourite returns – Photo-call Thursday, 1st August, 13.00

The Mount Royale Hotel York has opened OXO’s Restaurant on The Mount in a return to the hotel’s traditional family-operated full service dining.

The Oxtoby family have owned and operated the Mount Royale Hotel since 1967 and for many years gained a fine reputation for dining and quality service as OXO’s restaurant. The new OXO’s Restaurant on The Mount is a return to this quality and care serving traditional British and European food with a modern twist. 

“Guests experience of the hotel is paramount and following a period when the restaurant has been leased to other operators we have decided that we can deliver that overall experience from our own team and resources.” Comments hotel director Stuart Oxtoby.

OXO’s Restaurant on The Mount is offering a choice of dining styles and menus with the focus on local suppliers and ingredients with a wine list that has been devoloped to make food and wine matching simple but interesting and enjoyable. A new team of long standing members of staff has been brought together with Russell Johnson, head chef, leading the kitchen team. OXO’s Restaurant on the Mount  will open seven days a week for dinner plus Sunday Lunch and is open to resident and non-resident diners and private lunch parties can be reserved in advance. The hotel also operates a ‘Breakfast Club’ that provides non-resident business and leisure guests with informal meeting place and a hearty breakfast to start the day.

“Guests have often said that they would like to see a return to how the restaurant was managed by the family and we have come up with a formula that we think will delight and entertain. We’re not revealing everything about our plans yet, but there is a definite return to way that my mother and father operated OXO’s from 1967 onwards.” adds Stuart Oxtoby.

For further information please contact:  Stuart Oxtoby, director, The Mount Royal Hotel, The Mount, York, YO24 1GU  Tel: 01904 628856
Email: info@mountroyale.co.uk Website: www.mountroyale.co.uk
Press contact: John Gallery, Great Potential. Tel: 07967 032623
Email: johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk

Notes for Editors: The Mount Royale Hotel was founded by Richard and Christine Oxtoby in 1967, the hotel was formerly two private houses built during the reign of William IV (1830 - 1837) and offers 24 bedrooms all with wireless internet, there is also a bar with a coal fire and OXO’s Restaurant on the Mount offering locally sourced produce.  Other facilities include an onsite heated outdoor swimming pool, sauna, steam room and hot tub open all year set in English Gardens and a beauty centre with spa treatments.

Bearded dragon born to be named Prince

News Release                        23rd    July 2013

Bearded dragon born on same day as Royal baby – baby lizard to be named after Prince of Cambridge

Western-style Pinewood Park near Scarborough has had its own ‘royal baby’ hatch on the same day as the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s newborn.

Jordon Woodhead is developing a new reptile house at western-themed Pinewood Holiday Park near Scarborough and the bearded dragon ‘baby’ is the latest edition to his collection.

“Jordan has enthusiastically been developing his reptile house this summer and intends opening it to the guests and visitors at Pinewood this August. The new addition is very timely and Jordan has decided to name it after the new Prince.“ comments Dave Woodhead, Jordan’s father and  director of Pinewood Park.

Jordan’s reptile house includes a 14’ albino Burmese python, reticulated pythons, a rock python, bearded dragons, a chameleon, a blue tongues skink, corn snakes, yellow bellied sliders and muck turtles, an alligator snapping turtle, a Nile water monitor, an Asian Water monitor, a snapping turtle, a quince monitor lizard, a tegu lizard and a Caiman Alligator.
Jordan is the youngest person in the UK to hold a dangerous wild animal license, which then allows him to own such animals as the Caiman.
As well as having success at breeding bearded dragons, his large snapping turtle is currently in a breeding programme, and Jordan is hopeful there will be new additions to his collection in the future.
Jordan has owned and loved reptiles since he was 10 years old, but decided to turn his passion into a business, after completing a Travel and Tourism and Business course at Scarborough Sixth Form College, and is looking forward to this new challenge. 

Jordan said: “I’m really excited about opening my hobby up to all of our guests and for the newest addition to arrive on the same day as the Royal baby is an added bonus.“
- ENDS -
For further information please contact:

Kerry and Dave Woodhead Tel: 01723 367278 / 07787 378111
info@pinewood-holiday-park.co.uk Web: www.pinewoodpark.co.uk

Press Contact: John Gallery T: 07967 032623 johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk

Notes for Editors: For something a little less conventional, the cowboy-themed Pinewood Holiday Park on Racecourse Road, Scarborough is an outdoor and indoor venue. Woody's Barn is an emporium of all things Wild West and can hold 80 delegates standing or 60 seated for £40 per hour. A separate field and small wooded area are available for outdoor activities, while overnight accommodation includes native American Indian tipis, cowboy tents, wagons and camping shacks that sleep three people e

Bedern Hall Foundation Launched - Lady Cobham, chairman of VisitEngland to speak at York dinner

Lady Cobham to speak at inaugural Bedern Hall Foundation Dinner
-    medieval hall launches £30k fund raising initiative.
Where: Cedar Court Grand Hotel York - When: Thursday 31st October 2013 

The inaugural dinner of the Bedern Hall Foundation is to be held on Thursday 31st October 2013 at the Cedar Court Grand Hotel and Spa York, The event is to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the laying of the restoration foundation stone and Lady Cobham, chairman of VisitEngland will speak about the importance of our built heritage in Britain and its value to the visitor economy. 

Thirty years ago Sir Peter Shepherd on behalf of the Bedern Hall Guilds of York laid the new foundation stone to restore and preserve this important building for the City. In the intervening years the Hall has provided a hall for hire and social occasions venue for the benefit of the people of York and for visitors attending events from around the world. 
The Bedern Hall Foundation is being launched to secure Bedern Hall’s next thirty years and beyond with a new vision for the Hall that encompasses; education; preservation and accessibility.  

“The Bedern Hall Foundation aims to raise £30,000 annually to enable this vision to be realised and the dinner on 31st October will be the beginning of a new era for the Hall that will secure its future for the next generations. The Bedern Hall Guilds are delighted that Lady Cobham has agreed to speak at the dinner.” comments Roger Lee, director of the Bedern Hall Company and Time and Place Catering who operates the Hall.  Bookings for the event can be made online at http://bedernhallfoundation.eventbrite.co.uk/

For further information and to be included in the invitations for the inaugural dinner please contact: Roger Lee, Time and Place Caterers, Bedern Hall, St Andrewgate, Bedern, York YO1 7AL Tel: 01904 653698  Email: roger@bedernhall.co.uk Website: www.bedernhall.co.uk  Press Contact: John Gallery, Great Potential, Tel: 07967 032623
Email: johngallery@greatpotential.co.uk