Visit Winchester reveals two new ambassadors for its #CreativeWinch campaign

-Campaign showcases cultural pursuits across the district-

Visit Winchester has added two new Ambassadors to its #CreativeWinch campaign, Kay May (Art Ambassador) and Madelaine Smith (Literary Ambassador). They will be joining Winchester's other Creative Ambassadors, who are all local residents; Pat Davies (History Ambassador), the gentlemen behind the Cabinet Rooms (Food/Drink Ambassador), and The Spitfire Sisters (Music/Fashion Ambassador).

#CreativeWinch aims to reveal the alternative - even hidden - side of Winchester's rich cultural scene. Focusing on the city's past, present and future by asking Ambassadors to share their inside knowledge on a range of cultural activities, including food and drink, music, history, literary and theatrical arts.  

The team of Ambassadors will promote Winchester in a number of ways – including providing their perfect Winchester itinerary for visitors to follow, access to their expertise for visitor questions, regular “Twitter Takeovers”, and offering bespoke one-to-one guided tours based on an Ambassador's specialty - sharing the reasons as to why they love Winchester and believe it's the perfect English city.

Much of the content is available on the Visit Winchester website http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/creative-winchester and the social channels @King_Alf on Twitter and King Alf on Facebook, where it is collated under the hashtag #CreativeWinch.

Ellen Simpson, Head of Tourism at Winchester City Council said “We are very excited to add two new Ambassadors to our #CreativeWinch campaign. They will help highlight just what a vibrant and creative city Winchester is, and build upon the great successes we have had with our other Ambassadors. Those of us who live and work in Winchester are well aware of the unique vibe of Winchester – a place where dramatic history buffs up against a deep sense of learning and culture. With plenty of attractions to visit, an ivory-tower vibe, independent shops and a variety of restaurants serving Avant Garde food, we cannot wait, through the voices of our superb Ambassadors, to share this with the wider world.”

Kay May, Winchester's Art Ambassador and Director of External Affairs at Winchester School of Art said “Winchester is a city of art, home to stunning public pieces sculpted by artists such as Gormley, Frink and Kemp. It is a place of work for an increasing number of gifted artists and the creative industries. I can't wait to start showing visitors my favourite art pieces around my favourite city.”

Madelaine Smith, Winchester Literary Ambassador and manager of Winchester Poetry Festival added “Winchester is home to numerous literary heroes, and is the setting and inspiration behind a multitude of novels and poems; from John Keats' ode 'To Autumn' to a couple of Sherlock Holmes stories such as The Adventure of the Copper Beeches. I'm excited to encourage new audiences to see just what this beautiful city has to offer, and work with other Ambassadors to showcase a little of the alternative side of Winchester.”

For more information and day-to-day events, visit http://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/

 Issued by Flagship Consulting

For further media information please contact:

Sophy Norris   01392 248934             sophy.norris@flagshipconsulting.co.uk

Luke Gold       020 7680 7172           luke.gold@flagshipconsulting.co.uk