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The Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show returned this year, to record-breaking visitor figures over the five days.

With beautiful weather and top-class entertainment on offer, sporting legends and celebrities alike were spotted descending on Cheshire for the high-profile competition. With attendees including Olympic dressage riders and showjumpers, award-winning Pro Wakeboarders and one of Made in Chelsea’s most famous faces, Tiffany Watson, it’s fair to say that the event is celebrating its best year yet.

The show kicked off to an exciting start with CDI*** International Dressage taking place on Wednesday and Thursday, drawing an international field. This was followed by the much-anticipated CSI**** International Showjumping on Thursday and Friday, with the competition coming to an exhilarating finish on Saturday. A highlight of the show was the ever-popular Equitop Myoplast Puissance, one of the most famous show jumping competitions in the world, designed to push both horse and rider to their ultimate limits as they clear the huge red wall. Ireland’s Trevor Breen came out on top to bring the third day of the show to a close.

Additional notable winners include Eve Jobs, daughter of the late Apple founder, Steve, who had the biggest win of her career in the world of show jumping, as well as double Olympic dressage champion, Charlotte Dujardin, who enjoyed double success at the show.

This year also saw records broken at the exclusive Bolesworth Elite Auction, when a foal by Nick Skelton’s Olympic legend, Big Star, made £92,000 under the hammer. It is believed the sum is the highest price paid for a show jumping-bred foal in the UK with the British-bred youngster going to Saudi Arabia.

Made in Chelsea star, Tiffany Watson was spotted on Saturday enjoying the international showjumping and the CSI 2* Grand Prix, with her friends, in the exclusive VIP Hospitality marquee, to the excitement of show attendees. Tiffany was also seen enjoying the day with founder and president of Bolesworth International, Nina Barbour, and High Sheriff of Cheshire, Sarah Callender Beckett.

Also on Saturday, Sarah Callender Beckett was seen announcing the winners of the Ladies Day best dressed competition, with prizes including Pure Essence spa package for two at Leaf Day Spa and one night’s accommodation in a Luxury Suite for two at Park Fields Country House.

New for the show this year, was the International Water Festival, which took place on Saturday 17th June. The event saw some of the best wakeboarders in the world battle it out in a spectacular head to head style contest on a purpose-built, world class wakeboard park. UK born Liam Peacock was crowned number one in the final day of the Industry Pro Tour, to enthusiastic crowds.

The show’s chosen charity Brooke, Action for Working Horses and Donkeys, brought along successful North Yorkshire author Hannah Russell and her miniature Shetland pony, internet sensation Little Alf, much to the excitement of children on Thursday’s ‘School’s Day’, where Hannah read extracts from her best-selling book.

Nina Barbour, Founder and President of The Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show comments:

“We have loved every second of this year’s show. It has been incredible to watch world-class sport once again taking place at Boelsworth. We are constantly expanding our offer at Bolesworth, notably this year with the Water Festival and leg of the pro- wakeboarding tour. We have witnessed a series of amazing firsts this year, including the record-breaking auction and with the support of sensational riders such as Charlotte Dujardin and Carl Hester, as well as the world class wakeboarders, this year is certainly one to remember!”

The next event to take place on the Boelsworth Estate, will be CarFest North 2017, between 28th and 30th July, welcoming stars such as Busted, Deacon Blue and Happy Mondays, as well as evening entertainment from the Kaiser Chiefs.

World-class show jumping, international dressage and high-end shopping and dining, where else – this year’s Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show.

Head to Bolesworth Castle near Tattenhall, Chester – June 14 to 18 for an event that offers a unique and thrilling experience, combines top-level dressage and showjumping competitions with great shopping, a host of thrilling water sports on the lake and fun family entertainment.

Set in beautiful surroundings, the show offers something for everyone from Grand Prix showjumping to the glamorous fashion of Ladies Day.

Besides the equestrian action there are a host of displays and attractions across the showground for all the family to enjoy.

New for 2017 and set to be a massive crowd-pleaser is the Spectacular International Water Sports Festival which includes an international competition focus and activity zone.

If you can tear yourself away from all the action, go and browse the many trade stands in the shopping village. From well-known equestrian brands to jewellery and home furnishings, there’s something for everyone in the selection of high-quality retailers.

After the thrill of the equestrian competitions and all that shopping, there’s plenty of choice for refreshments, with a whole host of food and drink options. From gourmet burgers and delicious food in the Bolesworth Bistro to fine dining in the VIP Hospitality Suite, you’re not going to go hungry!

The Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show runs from Wednesday, June 14 to Sunday, June 18. Get 40% off gate prices if you pre-book your tickets online. General admission tickets are available at a pre-sale price of just £12 for the Thursday and Friday, and £20 for Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Under 12s can enjoy free admission, while a season ticket is at a not-to-be-missed pre-sale price of £40.

Major British and continental dressage stars are heading to this year’s Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show.

The new Bolesworth CDI*** runs on the first two days of the show, June 14 to 18, and has the fantastic added attraction of a masterclass with dressage legend, Carl Hester.

Having won the Invitational Grand Prix Freestyle last year during his first visit to Bolesworth, Carl said:

“The venue is stunning, the footing is stunning, and I’m delighted the team is developing the dressage in such an amazing setting.”

The extra investment in dressage means that the event is now a fully-fledged CDI*** show with international riders able to compete in what has quickly become one of the most sought after arenas to ride in.

As well as Carl and Britain’s golden girl, Charlotte Dujardin other leading names include Gareth Hughes, Richard Davison, Emile Faurie, Michael Eilberg and the inform Hayley Watson-Greaves, second to Carl and Barolo when riding Rubins Nite at Royal Windsor.

Carl is confirmed to compete in the CDI***, and will undoubtedly entertain spectators on the first afternoon of the show with a demonstration of his wealth of knowledge as both an internationally-acclaimed rider and trainer.

Following the demonstration there will also be a ‘Question & Answer’ session with Carl in the International Arena with the stunning backdrop of Bolesworth Castle.

Dressage fans can enjoy watching top horses and riders over the first two days of the show, with the competition focus getting underway on Wednesday, June 14 with the CDI*** Grand Prix at 2pm and the Inter 1 Freestyle at 6pm.

Thursday, June 15 promises a full day of thrilling competitions, with the Prix St George invitational event, the 5, 6 & 7-year-old Future Dressage Horse Competitions, which will be viewing trials for the World Breeding Championships, the Grand Prix Special – and then culminating in the early evening Freestyle Final.

The Equerry Bolesworth International Horse Show runs from Wednesday, June 14 to Sunday, June 18. Get 40% off gate prices if you pre-book your tickets online. General admission tickets are available at a pre-sale price of just £12 for the Thursday and Friday, and £20 for Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday. Under 12s can enjoy free admission, while a season ticket is at a not-to-be-missed pre-sale price of £40

On Saturday 6th May 2017 local historians and the extended Barbour family were invited to Bolesworth Castle for the book launch of “Bolesworth and the Barbours”.

The book is written by Diana Barbour and Wendy Bawn and gives the history of the development of the Bolesworth Estate, the Castle and it’s owners and the fascinating story of the Barbour family from 1856 to the present day. Guests to the launch enjoyed ‘breakfast at lunch’ which was inspired by an article in the book written by Pam Payne in the 1930’s; she frequently came to stay at Bolesworth and went hunting with the children.

Copies of the book may be purchased from The Bolesworth Estate, Bolesworth Castle, Tattenhall, Chester, 01829 782210. The price is £20 + P&P. The first 300 copies sold will be in aid of Manchester Cancer Research Centre in memory of Anthony Barbour , who died of pancreatic cancer in 2007.

The Bolesworth team started 2016 in a new location – The Liverpool Echo Arena where we were hosting the Liverpool International Horse Show. The whole team was involved to help deliver a fantastic inaugural event.

Back at base, work was in full swing to deliver another phase of growth at Chowley Oak Business Park.  Our skilled team of in house tradesmen and contractors constructed 3,750 sq.ft of top quality office and laboratory space for Envin Scientific.  Envin have been at Bolesworth for over 15 years, starting in a converted barn, before moving to Chowley. 

This building marks the end of the first phase of growth at Chowley and is the culmination of 30 years of providing high quality rural office space. In 2016 we successfully secured outline planning consent for a further 3.4 hectares of development land at Chowley which will ensure we are able to meet the needs of business for many years to come.

Demand for our residential property remained strong throughout the year and we continued a programme of property refurbishment across our portfolio.  Aqueduct Cottage was renovated to a high standard and showcased the skill set that we have within our construction team at Bolesworth.

We finally achieved full planning consent for 30 houses in Tattenhall and we are proud to be working with Redrow Homes to deliver these.

We have also worked hard to bring connectivity and high speed internet to our businesses and communities – our wireless line of sight network went live with ITS Technology providing the technical wizardry. Most locations at Bolesworth can now achieve 30Mbps download speeds – essential to do business in the rural area.

Summer 2016 saw two major public events at Bolesworth. Bolesworth International was now in its ninth year and the Bolesworth team delivered an exceptional show despite the very worst weather we have encountered with several inches of rain falling in an hour.

Just 4 weeks later we hosted CarFest North.  A little unsure of what to expect, the event (which raised over £1 million for BBC Children in Need ) exceeded our expectations – it was simply fantastic to see so many people at Bolesworth enjoying the spectacle of the cars on the track and enjoying some great music from the likes of Kaiser Chiefs and Bryan Adams. My own highlight of the weekend was undoubtedly bringing out my inner raver whilst dancing to Faithless as the sun set.

2016 was also tinged with sadness with the death of our dear friend and colleague Alison Sharp.  Alison was a part of the team at Bolesworth for 16 years and dedicated herself to the Estate and the people within it. Her enthusiasm, wise counsel and good humour are greatly missed. Bolesworth is like a family and non more so that at times like this.

We look ahead to 2017 which looks to be an exciting year with a number of construction projects ahead of us. These include the completion of phase one of the Inspired Tattenhall retirement community as well as the construction of affordable housing in Burwardsley and a new dwelling in Harthill.

As I write this we are busy making final preparations for the 2017 Liverpool International Horse Show where we once again take over the whole of the Echo Arena.  Our events calendar for 2017 is already beginning to fill up too – Bolesworth International 2017 in June, the return of CarFest North at the end of July. We also are very excited to be hosting the brand new Bolesworth Proms in September. A two night music event featuring Classic Ibiza and the Great British Prom in the beautiful Bolesworth showground. 

Keep an eye on our website and Facebook page for all the latest updates.

In the meantime, we wish you a happy and prosperous 2017.

Matthew Morris
Estate Manager

UK’s best selling classical artist, Russell Watson, joins star-studded Great British Prom line-up.

The singer who was described by the New York Times as a performer “who sings like Pavarotti and entertains the audience like Sinatra” to make an exclusive guest appearance at Bolesworth Castle.

Revival Productions is delighted to announce that the UK’s best selling classical artist, Russell Watson, will be making an exclusive guest appearance at The Great British Prom at Bolesworth Castle in Cheshire on 2nd September 2017. Russell joins the star-studded line-up that also includes The National Symphony Orchestra, Anthony Inglis, Annette Wardell and Only Men Aloud.

Russell’s debut album ‘The Voice’ shot up the UK charts where he held the number one spot for a world record 52 weeks. At the same time, Russell held the number one spot in the USA, making him the first British male to hold the accolade of a simultaneous transatlantic number one. His second studio album ‘Encore’ soon followed and it became an even greater success selling almost two million copies worldwide. During this period Russell was rewarded with various awards including four Classical Brits.

Russell has strong connections with many of the artists performing at The Great British Prom, which should lead to an electrifying performance. He has performed many times with The National Symphony Orchestra and Anthony Inglis conducted Russell’s “Best of British Concert” at The Royal Albert Hall 2015. Furthermore, he was one of the judges when Only Men Aloud won BBC One’s “Last Choir Standing” in 2008. Russell commented:

“I am very excited to be making a special guest appearance at the magnificent Bolesworth Castle for a local Prom’s night spectacular. To be performing the Great British Prom favourites with the fantastic National Symphony Orchestra and seeing everyone waving the flags and singing along. It is certainly going to be an amazing night filled with musical talent, some of whom I have shared a stage with on many occasions.”

In addition to Russell, The Great British Prom is promising a very special formula with the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Anthony Watson, Classical Brit award-winning Only Men Aloud, soprano Annette Wardell and The Manchester Scots Guards Association leading the way with a programme of iconic music from around the British Isles. The first half will include “The Dam Busters March”, “Bread of Heaven” “Danny Boy” and “Flower of Scotland”.

The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is renowned for being one of the very best in the country and has performed with artists such as Dame Kiri Ta Kanawa and Lesley Garrett.

Justin Pearson, General Manager and Artistic Director of the NSO, said:

“NSO is thrilled at the prospect of performing at The Great British Prom. I feel sure that the attractive programme, especially devised for this year’s concert, will delight Bolesworth. We have a 50-piece symphony orchestra conducted by Anthony Inglis, who has conducted more concerts at the Royal Albert Hall than any other living conductor. We shall faithfully recreate the buzz of the Last Night of the Proms under immense Bolesworth skies, thrilling to 1812 Overture, being charmed by the dazzling diva Annette Wardell, an entire band of pipers, fireworks and Only Men Aloud. If that’s not enough, we now have the amazing Russell Watson joining us for an exclusive guest appearance. Unmissable!”

NSO has performed before with the Classical Brit Award-winning Only Men Aloud (OMA). A couple of years ago, they did a summer series of Last Night of the Proms across the UK and as Craig Yates, a baritone in OMA, says:

“We love performing with a live orchestra and the NSO are one of the best.”

Formed in 2000, with the aim of injecting new blood into the Welsh choir tradition, OMA came to prominence in 2008 as BBC One’s Last Choir Standing. Following a reinvention of themselves as a “honed and toned vocal ensemble” in 2013, they toured and established a considerable fan base worldwide.

The Manchester Scots Guards Association will also be joining The Great British Prom, bringing a special sense of tradition and uniqueness to the Scottish pieces, before walking up the centre of the crowd to mark the end of a what will be a truly memorable first half.

James Le Brocq, Secretary of The Manchester Scots Guards Association, commented:

“We are really looking forward to playing with The National Symphony Orchestra and these other amazing artists at such a prestigious event as The Great British Prom. Most of us have family and friends in Cheshire and the North West, so it will be great to perform in full No1 Ceremonial Dress to them and the rest of the Bolesworth audience. There is nothing more stirring than the sound of the pipes and I am sure everyone is guaranteed some outstanding music in a fantastic setting.”

The second half will see a fabulous rendition of all the Proms favourites including “Rule Britannia”, “Land of Hope & Glory” and British anthem “Jerusalem”, which will be performed by the winner of The Bolesworth Choir Competition. The concert culminates in a truly spectacular fireworks finale.

The Bolesworth Prom weekend starts on 1st September with Classic Ibiza. This very different concert brings together Urban Soul Orchestra (USO) and DJ Goldierocks, who will perform some of dance music’s biggest anthems from the last 20 years.

The Bolesworth Prom is proud to be supporting the local charity, Claire House Children’s Hospice. Claire House will receive £2 from every ticket sold to their database of supporters, £1 from every programme sale and on-site promotional and fundraising opportunities.

Visit www.revival-productions.co.uk or call 01630 674342. Tickets are £35 in advance (£38 on the night). Car-parking is free. Bring a picnic or take advantage of onsite street-food vendors.

The Bolesworth Proms on Saturday 2nd September 2017- paying tribute to Great British Music.

The National Symphony Orchestra conducted by Anthony Inglis make their debut to perform a feast of British music from across the home nations with Classical Brit Award winning welsh male vocal group Only Men Aloud, Soprano Annette Wardell, Pipes and Drums of the Scots Guards Association and a spectacular firework display.

The Great British Prom will include the traditional Proms favourites and will celebrate some of the most rousing music from the Home Nations. There will be a magnum of champagne for the best dressed British iconic character.

For more information and to book tickets visit www.greatbritishprom.co.uk.

The Urban Soul Orchestra conducted by Stephen Hussey perform classic Ibiza anthems under the stars, with DJ Goldierocks and vocalists Max Barnes-Davy, Jina Burrows and Roo Savill.

This will be Cheshire’s biggest dance party of the Summer full of iconic Ibiza anthems. A chill-out set in the first half will be followed by a half hour interval with DJ Goldierocks playing the latest Ibiza tunes. As dusk falls, the lasers will hit the Bolesworth skyline as the Urban Soul Orchestra return to bring some of the best of the White Island’s dance tunes to orchestral life.  It’s going to be a night to remember!

For more information and to book tickets visit www.classicibiza.co.uk.