"set by the Malvern Spa Association, with Gold, Silver and Bronze awards presented to adult's and children's groups. The well dressing initiative usually takes place over a period of four or five days with the Malvern spouts starting the annual season of well dressing around the country in the Derbyshire tradition. In 2003, photographer Bob Bilsland gave permission to the BBC to publish 21 of his special panaoramic views of the decorated wells and spouts. For the 2010 competition based on 'Celebrations', a group of pupils of a local primary school decorated the Great Malvern Railway Station Trough with paper"
"is named after St Lawrence. Barlow Woodseats Hall, on the edge of the village, is the only manor house in the parish and dates from the 17th century. Barlow, Derbyshire Barlow is a village and civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 884, increasing to 920 at the 2011 Census. The village is about north-west of Chesterfield. The village holds an annual well dressing (on the second Wednesday after the first Sunday in August) and a carnival (on the following Saturday). There are a number"
"well dressing in its present form probably began in the late 18th century, and evolved from ""the more widespread, but less picturesque"" decoration of wells with ribbons and simple floral garlands. The location identified most closely with well dressing is Tissington, Derbyshire, though the origins of the tradition are obscure. It has been speculated that it began as a pagan custom of offering thanks to gods for a reliable water supply; other suggested explanations include villagers celebrating the purity of their water supply after surviving the Black Death in 1348, or alternatively celebrating their water's constancy during a prolonged drought"
"Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a regency spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs in 1716 and has a number of internationally renowned and historic schools. The town hosts several festivals of culture, often featuring nationally and internationally famous contributors and attendees, including the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, the Cheltenham Science Festival, the Cheltenham Music Festival, the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, and the Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival. In steeplechase horse"
"Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington , is a spa town in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities, in the 19th century the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town. The town contains especially fine ensembles of Regency architecture, particularly in parts of the Parade, Clarendon Square and Lansdowne Circus. In the 2011"
"Endon Endon is a village within the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England. It is southwest of Leek and north-northeast of Stoke-on-Trent. The village is one of only a few outside Derbyshire which practises the ancient custom of Well dressing. A weekend fair accompanies the dressing of the well at which a local girl is crowned as the Well Dressing Queen. The fair also includes a contest called ""Tossing the Sheaf"" where local men compete to see who can toss a bale of straw the highest over a raised bar. The fair is known for bringing the entire village together"
"Well dressing Well dressing, also known as well flowering, is a tradition practised in some parts of rural England in which wells, springs and other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The custom is most closely associated with the Peak District of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. James Murray Mackinlay, writing in 1893, noted that the tradition was not observed in Scotland; W. S. Cordner, in 1946, similarly noted its absence in Ireland. Both Scotland and Ireland do have a long history of the veneration of wells, however, dating from at least the 6th century. The custom of"
"revival of the custom in an English village of the West Country after World War I and its connection to the Goddess. Jon McGregor's novel ""Reservoir 13"" is set in a village where well dressing is an annual event. Footnotes Bibliography Well dressing Well dressing, also known as well flowering, is a tradition practised in some parts of rural England in which wells, springs and other water sources are decorated with designs created from flower petals. The custom is most closely associated with the Peak District of Derbyshire and Staffordshire. James Murray Mackinlay, writing in 1893, noted that the tradition"
"Barlow, Derbyshire Barlow is a village and civil parish in the North East Derbyshire district of Derbyshire, England. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 884, increasing to 920 at the 2011 Census. The village is about north-west of Chesterfield. The village holds an annual well dressing (on the second Wednesday after the first Sunday in August) and a carnival (on the following Saturday). There are a number of pubs in the village including the Hare and Hounds, the Peacock at Barlow (which used to be the Old Pump) and the Tickled Trout. The village church"
"in 2010 as a music and arts festival, building on its waterways core. The last event saw several thousand visitors, with record numbers taking advantage of free short canal boat rides and a longer heritage trip to Bugsworth Basin. In the evening crowds watched free live music on the outdoor stage. 2012 saw W3 enter into a partnership with the Canal & River Trust where they adopted the canal basin and the Peak Forest canal to the Bugsworth Arm. The weekend of W3 is followed by the Well Dressing Weekend, a traditional Derbyshire event in which the local well is"
"the Dukes of Portland of Welbeck Abbey, the surrounding tenant farms today form part of the estates of Chatsworth House. Village wells are decorated with flowers in the Derbyshire well dressing tradition in late June / early July each year. These well dressings are on display as part of Elmton Festival which includes the National Gardens Scheme (NGS) Open Gardens with several village gardens open to the public raising money for national nursing charities such as Macmillan. There are at least two exhibitions and cream teas are served in the Schoolroom. Elmton has been voted Best Small Village in the"
"celebrate the provision of fresh water to the high-point of the town's market place. As well as the dressing of the wells, the Festival involves a carnival procession and a funfair on the Market Place. Well dressing is an ancient custom unique to the Peak District and Derbyshire, and is thought to date back to Roman and Celtic times, when communities would dress wells to give thanks for fresh water supplies. Buxton's economy includes tourism, retail, quarrying, scientific research, light industry and mineral water bottling. The University of Derby is a significant employer. The town is surrounded by the Peak"
"Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa waters and RHS Harlow Carr gardens. away from the town centre is the Yorkshire Dales national park and the Nidderdale AONB. Harrogate grew out of two smaller settlements, High Harrogate and Low Harrogate, in the 17th century. Since 2013, polls have consistently voted the town as ""the happiest place to live"" in Britain. Harrogate spa water contains iron, sulphur and common salt. The town became known as 'The"
"(A439). Leamington Spa experiences the oceanic climate which covers most of the United Kingdom. Leamington is twinned with: Leamington has friendship agreements with: Leamington Spa Royal Leamington Spa, commonly known as Leamington Spa or Leamington , is a spa town in Warwickshire, England. Originally a small village called Leamington Priors, it grew into a spa town in the 18th century following the popularisation of its water which was reputed to have medicinal qualities, in the 19th century the town experienced one of the most rapid expansions in England. It is named after the River Leam, which flows through the town."
"area instead. Census figures from April 2010 showed that Derbyshire is the largest Scout county in the East Midlands, with a total youth membership of 7,136 supported by 1,848 adult volunteers. Scouts from all over Derbyshire marked the centenary of Scouting in August 2007 at Sunrise ceremonies renewing their Scout Promise. Derbyshire villages are unusual in holding Well dressings during the summer. In 2005 the well at Whitwell had a theme acknowledging ""Peak 2005"", Derbyshire's International Scout and Guide Camp at Chatsworth Park. In 2009 all of the wells in Chapel-en-le-Frith shared a common Scouting and Scout Badges theme to"
"is twinned with: Cheltenham Cheltenham () is a regency spa town and borough on the edge of the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England. Cheltenham has been a health and holiday spa town resort since the discovery of mineral springs in 1716 and has a number of internationally renowned and historic schools. The town hosts several festivals of culture, often featuring nationally and internationally famous contributors and attendees, including the Cheltenham Literature Festival, the Cheltenham Jazz Festival, the Cheltenham Science Festival, the Cheltenham Music Festival, the Cheltenham Cricket Festival, and the Cheltenham Food & Drink Festival."
"Spaw Sunday Spaw Sunday, or Spa Sunday, is a celebration held on the first Sunday in May and peculiar to Yorkshire and, formerly, Lancashire. It is focused on local holy wells or spas whose spring waters are believed to have restorative or healing properties only on that day. Celebrations usually include a short pilgrimage from the local church to the spring, and a blessing of the waters by the clergy, after which the crowd take turns to smell or taste the usually highly sulphurous waters. Traditionally liquorice was steeped in a cup of collected waters, or shaken in a bottle"
"named Day Spa of the Year at the Professional Beauty Awards 2014, just one year after opening. On the outskirts of the town there are galleries in two stately homes, the Burnley council-owned Towneley Hall and Gawthorpe Hall in Padiham, which is owned by Lancashire County Council and managed by the National Trust. There are also two local museums: the Weavers' Triangle Trust operates the Visitor Centre and Museum of Local History in the historic surroundings of the Weavers' Triangle, while the Queen Street Mill Textile Museum is unique as the world's only surviving steam driven cotton weaving shed. Mid"
"Leamington Spa and back once a day. The annual flower show and village fête took place for the 116th time in September 2013 featuring attractions such as vegetable growing, flower arranging and a barn dance. Situated close by are the historic ruins of Guy's Cliffe house and the Saxon Mill - a water mill mentioned in the Domesday book which is now a pub and restaurant. Just outside the hamlet is Quarry Park Disc Golf Club which is one of only 17 courses in the UK, and was the venue for the 2008 and 2009 UK Championships. The electoral ward"
"merger of St. James School and Malvern College for Girls, and Malvern College Prep. (The Downs), or to work at TRE, RRDE, their merger RRE and its successor organisations leading (as of 2011) to QinetiQ, The Hills have inspired poets and novelists. Malvern, Worcestershire Malvern is a spa town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The centre of Malvern, Great Malvern, is a historic conservation area, which grew dramatically in Victorian times due to the natural mineral water springs in the vicinity, including Malvern"
"Malvern, Worcestershire Malvern is a spa town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The centre of Malvern, Great Malvern, is a historic conservation area, which grew dramatically in Victorian times due to the natural mineral water springs in the vicinity, including Malvern Water. At the 2011 census it had a population of 29,626. It includes Great Malvern on the steep eastern flank of the Malvern Hills, as well as the former independent urban district of Malvern Link. Many of the major suburbs and settlements"
"pottery and mining industries of Stoke-on-Trent and it was not until only around 1950 when the villagers began working in local mines such as Chatterley Whitfield. Brown Edge also annually practices the local tradition of well dressing. This is an ancient festival which has its roots in pagan worship and involves blessing the local wells or springs on which the villagers would once have depended for their water by decorating the location with flowers. In modern times this is done by pressing items such a flower, coffee beans and coloured gravel into clay covered boards which are left up for"
"Photography, Splash Fit Gym and Essere Bella beauty salon were the winners in 2012. In 2013, the winners were Eve of St Agnes, Status Social and the Derby Brewing Company. Before the 1970s, the newspaper (in its broadsheet form) often had national news stories on its front page, with weighty current affairs stories. The coverage of national and local news stories was almost 50:50. It is published daily from Monday to Saturday and is the principal local newspaper for Derby and surrounding parts of south Derbyshire. The newspaper has a local focus with usually just two pages reserved for national"
"in 1615. The practice of well dressing using clay boards at Tissington is not recorded before 1818, however, and the earliest record for the wells being adorned by simple garlands occurs in 1758. Well dressing was celebrated in at least 12 villages in Derbyshire by the late 19th century, and was introduced in Buxton in 1840, ""to commemorate the beneficence of the Duke of Devonshire who, at his own expense, made arrangements for supplying the Upper Town, which had been much inconvenienced by the distance to St Anne's well on the Wye, with a fountain of excellent water within easy"
"Droitwich Spa Lido The Droitwich Spa Lido is a lido in Droitwich Spa, Worcestershire, England. It is one of the few remaining inland, open-air salt-water swimming pools in the UK. The Lido was originally built in the 1930s and the building features an art-deco style interior. The pool itself was filled with diluted brine, pumped from brine streams beneath the town. The salt in the water was strong enough to keep the water in the pool aseptic, without the need for additional chemicals such as chlorine. When the lido opened, it was marketed as the 'seaside come to Droitwich Spa',"
"School was rebuilt under a governmental scheme in mid-2017. It is also home to many private schools in the town centre and others in the surrounding areas, such as Queen Ethelbuga's. In 2012, Harrogate had the highest concentration of drink drivers in the UK. A March 2013 survey from the British property website Rightmove ranked Harrogate as the ""happiest place"" to live in the United Kingdom, an acclaim repeated in 2014 and 2015. In 2014, Harrogate District Hospital had the best cancer care of any hospital in England. Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town in North Yorkshire, England."
"opening its first city centre luxury day spa for ladies. The spa is situated in Brewery Wharf, Leeds and its aim is to combine luxury, pampering, beauty and indulgence in a convenient city centre location. Waterfall Spa has also now developed its own range of spa retail products. The spa can accommodate up to 30 guests per day and the facilities include six treatment rooms, relaxation boudoir, hydrotherapy pool, tropicarium, aromatherapy steam room, rasul mud chamber, manicure and pedicure area and café. In 2008, a local newspaper (""The Yorkshire Post"") reported that a number of celebrities often frequented the spa."
"Sawley, Derbyshire Sawley is a village and civil parish within the Borough of Erewash, in southeast Derbyshire, England. With a slightly higher than average number of people over 65, the population of just the civil parish was measured at 6,629 as at the 2011 Census. Every year around the August Bank Holiday, Sawley All Saints holds a flower festival, with themed floral displays inside the church and a beer festival held in the village. There are several events throughout the year including a May Day festival, and a Garden Trail. Sawley Marina is one of the most prominent features of"
"culmination of over eighteen months planning and showcased a new adaptive design developed in conjunction with Fred Marketing in Hull. Bridlington Spa Bridlington Spa is a dance hall, theatre and conference centre in Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. Refurbished between 2006 and 2008 and further updated with a new branding in 2016, the venue boasts a large ball room, Edwardian theatre, art gallery and a selection of other meeting and event spaces; all featuring outstanding views over Bridlington's South Bay. The original Spa on the site was built in 1896; which consisted of a theatre and seaside pavilion. A"
"of Cheshire because when Cheshire finally came under Anglo-Saxon control, the army which effectively captured it came from the North, Northumbria. There is also evidence in the continuity of ancient pagan festivals into the modern age as well. One of these was Beltaine, practised around Leek. Another pagan custom that formerly took place in the Forest of Lyme is well dressing. This practice, which is also associated with Derbyshire, is known to have been performed in Rushton Spencer near Biddulph. Indeed, many pagan festivals have been Christianized and continue to be carried out. There is also some evidence for the"
"Droitwich Spa is twinned with: Droitwich Spa Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to ""Droitwich"") is a town in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south of Birmingham and west of Redditch. The town was called Salinae in Roman times, then later called Wyche, derived from the Anglo-Saxon Hwicce kingdom, referred to as ""Saltwich"" according to Anglo-Saxon charters, with the Droit (meaning ""right"" in French) added when the town was given its charter on 1 August 1215 by King John. The ""Spa"" was added in the 19th century when John Corbett developed the town's spa facilities. The"
"best town in Britain to live in by The Times newspaper, Melbourne Festival was also named as one of the Top 10 British Craft Events by Country Living. In April 2013 Melbourne became the first town in Derbyshire to receive Walkers are Welcome Town status. Melbourne, Derbyshire Melbourne () is a market town and civil parish in South Derbyshire, England. It is about south of Derby and from the River Trent. The population of the civil parish (including Kings Newton) at the 2011 Census was 4,843. The name Melbourne means ""mill stream"", i.e. the mill by the stream. It was"
"and was the home of the young Anne Boleyn. Aylsham was once noted for its spa, situated about half a mile south of the town, comprising a chalybeate spring, formerly used by those suffering from asthma and other chronic conditions. The annual Aylsham Show features agricultural exhibits and takes place on August bank holiday Monday at nearby Blickling Park. The town is located on the A140 road, a route which runs between Ipswich and Cromer, via Norwich. It is served by a half-hourly bus service to Norwich, Sheringham and Holt. Aylsham came fourth in the world in an international competition"