Launde Abbey for the second time running has won an award in the East Midlands Enjoy England Excellence Tourism Awards! On 10 October Tim Blewett, the Warden, along with a number of the Launde team attended the Award Dinner at the East Midlands Conference Centre. Competition for the awards this year was at least four times the number than last year. This emphasises the hard work and dedication to hospitality, service and care that the Launde team provides consistently to those who use Launde.
Despite the fact that the Stables was closed for its enlargement and refurbishment for the first quarter of 2008 the number of those staying at Launde this year have now overtaken the number staying last year. Launde has welcomed both more overnight and day guests so far this year than at the same point last year. This has been a huge achievement and has only been possible by all those living and working at Launde pulling effectively together to enable the demand to be met.
The Ven Richard Atkinson, the Archdeacon of Leicester, has resigned from being the Chairman of the Launde Abbey Management Committee to concentrate on other areas of work in the Diocese of Leicester. He remains a Trustee of the Launde Abbey Trust. The Warden, at a thank you dinner in his honour, spoke about the huge developments and advances that had taken place during his time as Chairman of the Management Committee. This had seen Launde’s reputation as a place of prayer and hospitality increase, the development of a unified and integrated vision for the Launde site and the gaining of planning permission and listed building consent, an increase from 39 bedrooms to 45 bedrooms, the redevelopment of the Stables seeing the number of en-suite bedrooms rise from 8 to 23, the growing links with Peterborough Diocese and all of this within the context of Launde becoming a viable and sustainable business over the last four years securing its future for the long term.
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| The Ven Richard Atkinson receiving a gift from the Warden and Management Committee |
In October Launde welcomed two very different state Primary School on retreat together. The two schools — one from Belgrave in inner city Leicester and the other from leafy rural Bitteswell — came to stay residentially at Launde with nearly 80 children aged between 7 and 9 years old to explore their spirituality. This pilot project retreat is being closely watched by many other Primary Schools in Leicestershire and beyond who hope to follow suit.
Tim Blewett has been invited by the Bishop of Lincoln to be the Chair of the Diocese of Lincoln’s Ministerial Training Course Board of Studies. This appointment uses some of his experiences of being previously both a Continuing Ministerial Education Officer and Diocesan Director of Ordinands. This move reflects the developing links with Lincoln MTC who use Launde for residential training weekends.