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The Heart of England Blog

Looking for Wedding Inspiration?

Flowers on tableOver the last few years, our Wedding Fayres have become more and more popular, and the Heart of England has made its name as a trusted venue that will pull out all the stops to make sure events are spectacular.

We know what makes a day unique, and have all the resources on site to make your day truly remarkable. No other wedding venue in the Midlands can offer a beach, lake, woodland, marquee, banqueting hall, and a bridal party sized country house, complete with Four Poster honeymoon suite and double jacuzzi bath.

Come along and see our Wedding Marquee and rooms that available at our next Wedding Fayre on the 26th February between 11am and 3pm. A range of exhibitors will be joining us to give you ideas and inspiration for your big day and our Head Chef, Matt Parker, will be on hand to discuss the wedding menu options, offer tastings and show off his culinary skills.

There’ll be everything from Stag and Hen packages to special offers for brides who book on the day, and there’s the chance to see some beautiful dresses on display with a live fashion show by Classique Bridal Studio at 1pm.

For any enquiries, contact our Wedding Planner, Charlotte, on 01676 540 333 and we’ll be on hand to answer any questions on the day.

February 20, 2012 at 12:10 pm | Weddings | No comment

Sweet Valentine

Valentine's with The SubterraneansWe were very busy over Valentine’s at The Heart of England Conference & Events Centre this year, with our Valentine’s Ball with The Subterraneans on Sat 11th Feb, followed by The Quicken Tree Dinner on Valentine’s Day itself.

For the Ball, the red carpet was out, the star cloth twinkling and pink bubbly on ice as guests arrived. The evening included a tasty three course meal with entertainment from The Subterraneans, followed by a disco until 1am. The Subs were fantastic, playing classic tunes like Summer of ‘69, Mr Brightside, and Sex Is On Fire. With 82 guests, it was a brilliant night for couples and singles just to have a good night, sing along and have a boogie on the dance floor!

On Valentine’s Day, the Quicken Tree welcomed 44 guests who enjoyed a delicious menu followed by Passionfruit Cheesecake with Oreo Biscuit base and Chocolate dipped Strawberry, which – let’s face it – sounds amazing!

Thank you for supporting either of our events if you came. We hope you had a great night and we look forward to welcoming you again in the near future!

February 17, 2012 at 10:50 am | Quicken Tree, Valentine's | No comment

Heart of England at International Confex 2012

International ConfexNext month we’re going to be taking a little road trip down south to showcase our conference and events facilities at this year’s International Confex exhibition. We’ve got all our marketing and literature ready and I can already see us stocking up on Costa and Mars Bars to last the journey (other coffees and chocolate bars are available).

International Confex is an annual exhibition that connects event organisers with an exciting range of venues, destinations and support services from across the UK, and with the exhibitor list growing daily, it looks set to be a busy few days.

For 2012, International Confex has moved to ExCeL London, providing a platform for more exhibitors, and room for even more attendees.

If you’re attending this year’s event, make sure you come and see us on The Heart of England Conference & Events Centre stand to see how our conference and events centre can best meet your requirements.

To keep up with all the latest news from International Confex, follow @IntlConfex on Twitter or download the mobile app.

February 14, 2012 at 10:50 am | Corporate, Events, Exhibitions | 1 comment

Charity Race Night in aid of Warwickshire Air Ambulance

Charity Race NightWe’re proud to be supporting Warwickshire Air Ambulance at our upcoming Charity Race Night on 16th March this year!

Come along for what is sure to be a great evening of fun, gambling and games! Tickets are just £15, and include a traditional “Hearty” Hot Buffet Meal, Race Night and the legendary Heart of England Disco until 1am.

We’ll be donating all gambling proceeds to the Warwickshire Air Ambulance, so get to the tables!

For more information and to book, see the website or give us a call on 01676 540 333.

February 7, 2012 at 10:51 am | Events | No comment

It’s Party Time at Heart Park!

Quad PodsWe’ve always wanted to be able to provide entertainment and fun activities for all ages, so we’ve worked hard to let Heart Park grow into a place for exciting days out for all the family. With a whole range of different indoor and outdoor activities on offer (and new ideas being added!), it’s an ideal place to hold children’s parties in a safe environment in the heart of the English countryside.

For children up to age 7, our Teddy Bears’ Picnic is a great choice, with a trip round the Park and Woods on our train, before tucking into a picnic with friends and teddies.

We’ve also got a whole range of bouncy castles and inflatables and games available, including Giant Jenga and Giant Connect 4.

Or if you’d like something a little faster, our Quad Pods or Pirate Pods allow your friends to be taken on an exciting ride through the woods, safely towed by our staffed Quad Bike.

How about an adrenaline pumping journey on a winding woodland track aboard our Supertruck or all terrain Haglander?

NEW! Our latest addition for 2012 is our fantastic Pirate Boat. Take your friends on a tour of our lake in the amazing Black Pearl II!

Our children’s parties are available all year round and in all weathers (some of them are even better in the mud!). For more information, see the Heart Park website or give us a call on 01676 540 333 and we’ll work to create a fun and exciting party to remember!

February 2, 2012 at 10:39 am | Children's Parties, Heart Park | No comment

A Leap Year Valentine’s

Valentine'sWhether you mutter the lyrics to Thirty Days Hath September or count on your knuckles, we all have our own way of remembering how many days there are in a month. And pesky February always has to be different with its 28 days!

Well this year it’s even more different because…it’s a Leap Year!

Despite the struggle of having to remember February 29th, a Leap Year does enable a certain tradition to play out – the tradition of a woman being able to propose marriage to a man.

You might ask where this tradition comes from? I’ll tell you. Briefly.

While there are several theories to its origins, including its initiation by St. Patrick and St. Bridget in 5th century Ireland, these are rather dubious.

According to English law, February 29th had no legal status and was ignored (‘leapt’ over), so people assumed traditions were also ignored on that day. It was also reasoned that since the extra day existed to fix a problem in the calendar, it could also be used to fix an old and unjust custom that only let men propose.

This practice supposedly dates back to 1288, when Queen Margaret of Scotland passed a law that if a marriage proposal was refused by a man, they would be fined anything from a kiss to £1 to a silk gown or a pair of gloves. Of course, she was then age five and living in Norway, so don’t take this too definitively.

February is always seen as a bit of a romantic month, and it’s no different at the Heart of England. On Sat 11th The Subterraneans will be providing entertainment at our fantastic Valentine’s Ball, or have a romantic Valentine’s dinner at the the Quicken Tree Restaurant.

More information can be found on our Valentine’s website, or give a call to see what’s happening.

February 1, 2012 at 2:19 pm | Events, Parties, Quicken Tree, Valentine's | No comment

Stuck in the mud

4x4 in the mudWhen you’re building a business, it’s often easy to forget about building your team. Of course your team may be physically growing in size, but are they growing in the way they work together? After all, teams should be becoming more effective, gaining each other’s trust and working towards a common goal together.

In creating a stronger team, you provide a framework that will increase the ability of your employees to participate in planning, problem solving and decision-making to better serve customers.

At the Heart of England we offer a range of team building and motivational events that are specifically tailored towards helping your staff to work as team. From quad biking, go karting and archery to raft building, ‘It’s a Knockout’ and using our 200ft zip wire.

And our current Team Building offer, with 3 activities and lunch for just £75 pp, can make your day even better value. Call us now on 01676 540 333 to see how we can help bring your team together.

January 27, 2012 at 12:48 pm | Team building | No comment

Why not get the Four in a Bed experience?

Old Hall HouseBack in November, we appeared on Channel 4’s Four in a Bed programme, receiving lots of support from the local community and getting comments from as far away as Texas.

Why not treat yourself to the Four in a Bed experience? Old Hall House is an old country residence, with seven luxurious rooms, each beautifully furnished, with HD TV and en suite facilities. Wake up to one of Barbara’s fresh farmhouse breakfasts, and take a 30 second stroll to the Quicken Tree Restaurant, where we offer a lounge bar, evening dining and lunch time menu.

With regular event and party nights within the Conference & Events Centre, and a whole host of different activities – including quad biking, go karting and archery – available on site, we can create the perfect package for you. Give us a call on 01676 540333 to enquire now.

And once you’ve settled in, just be prepared to answer Barbara when she asks you: “Beans or no beans?”

January 27, 2012 at 11:42 am | Four in a Bed, Old Hall House | No comment

Heart of England Events

Event HireHappy New Year!

Heart of England Events Division reporting for duty, sir.

What are you talking like that for?

Sorry, I’ve been working really hard, so I took a break and saw Arthur Christmas over the holidays and I’m kind of still feeling it.

OK then…Corporal, so what have you been busy with recently with then?

Well, we’ve been rather busy the last couple of weeks. We took Rocking Rudolph out on a trip to Lee Marston hotel for their staff party, and we’ve also had events at Warwick University and the Forest of Arden Hotel.

‘Rocking Rudolph’? He sounds a bit mad?

To be frank, he is. Rudolph, that is. But he makes a great addition to any Christmas party and although he’s usually very well behaved, if you dare to sit on him, he will literally make you rock ’til you drop.

What else can you bring to the party?

While I don’t tend to get to throw shapes myself, we’ve got a huge supply of audio visual equipment, staging, furniture and props which we can hire out for other events at other venues. Last month John Dalziel of Mercia (becoming Free Radio) hosted an Oscars themed party, with a red carpet and life size Oscar statues hired from us. Funny story actually, when John -

Stop! These posts have got to be snappy, to the point.

Ok, ok! Well if you’d like to see what we’re able to offer for parties, functions and events, most of our stock can now be browsed on our website. Or, of course, give us a call on the usual number and we’ll always be happy to help.

Time’s up.

January 25, 2012 at 11:24 am | Events, Hire, Parties | No comment

Fancy a Winter Wedding?

Winter WeddingsWith the temperature plummeting to sub-zero over the last few days, Winter finally seems to have arrived. It’s been a week of extra jumpers, hot water bottles, and struggling to wake up early to defrost the car (or hitting snooze and getting to work ten minutes late – “Sorry boss, the traffic…mental!”).

And yet while the weather might be a little grey, it’s not all doom and gloom, as although the number of weddings increases during the summer months, romantic Winter Weddings are also very popular. Why not consider a Winter Wedding at the Heart of England during January or February 2013?

We’ve got the ideal wedding package for you which contains everything you’ll need for a perfect wedding day. You’ll have a dedicated wedding planner, will be the only Bride on the day, will have access to our elegant Wedding Marquee and Birchley Suite and much more!

Give us a call and request a free copy of our wedding brochure, or come along on the 26th February to our next Wedding Fayre!

January 18, 2012 at 12:10 pm | Weddings | No comment

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