NEWS RELEASE April 2018 __________________________________________________________________________________ Huge RAF100 Commemorative Event being held at Cotswold Airport during the ‘Cotswold Airport Revival Festival’: 100 aircraft flying in to represent 100 years of the RAF! On 29th and 30th September Cotswold Airport is throwing open its gates to the public once again for its incredible vintage and wartime extravaganza, the ‘Cotswold Airport Revival Festival’. To mark this year’s centenary of the RAF and Cotswold Airport’s original RAF roots, the organisers have launched a major initiative to get 100 aircraft to fly in over the two-day event, to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Air Force. Jo Welch, Head of Events at Cotswold Airport said: ‘This initiative is really exciting. We hope to attract many many different types of aircraft over the two days for everyone to see. We especially are interesting in vintage and military schemed aircraft, including helicopters, light aircraft and large and small jets. We are offering free landing for the duration of the event for these aircraft and free parking. Pilots and owners are welcome to camp if they wish to stay for the two days and bring any display materials to tell visitors all about their aircraft.’ There will be a dedicated display area where the aircraft will be parked for visitors to see. Each aircraft will be booked in in advance so there will be constant movements throughout both days for people to see in the skies above. (As with all aviation activity, this event is weather dependant – many vintage bi- planes for example are unable to fly in bad weather conditions.) Cotswold Airport started out life as an MOD base called RAF Kemble 80 years ago, was the first home of the famous Red Arrows. The airport still today ahs many close military links and continually supports associated charities. This official RAF100 event as part of the Revival Festival is set to be a really powerful and nostalgic way to commemorate this centenary year and give a nod to the airport’s own RAF roots. Last year saw the inaugural launch of the Cotswold Airport Revival Festival, which started out as an informal fundraising Open Day for 500 people, and ended up as a major event with over 10,000 visitors! Due to the tremendous success of last year’s event, Cotswold Airport has teamed up with ‘Live Promotions Events Ltd’, a powerhouse of an organisation that has been putting on famous large-scale events including Truckfest, Pistons & Props and many big- name concerts such as Tom Jones, UB40 and Billy Ocean for over 50 years. The fusion of Cotswold Airport and Live Promotions will bring to the public one of the UK’s most unforgettable events, seeing visitors pouring in from all over the country. The festival is an annual event, that will happen every year during the last weekend in September. The event this year will be a two-day event and is set to be an absolutely unforgettable weekend with lots of exciting activities and attractions for all the family. Both days will be packed full of dramatic re-enactments and demonstrations; thrilling vintage air displays; exciting rides and experience flights; hundreds of vintage and military vehicles; full size and miniature steam engines; and plenty of entertainment including period live music. Star features not to be missed include: - A huge display of vintage, military and emergency services vehicles and planes - Vintage plane flypasts and fly-in - A kids’ play zone with giant inflatable slide, toddler play zone, vintage pedal cars - Winston Churchill speeches throughout the weekend - A fabulous funfair - Wartime re-enactments - Simulator experiences - Steam traction engines - Pleasure flights in light aircraft and helicopters - Model aircraft static display - Boeing 747 pop-up WWI and RAF100 museum - Live period music - Airport fire crew crash demo of a rescue from a burning aircraft - Incredible rescue demonstration by a lifeboat hovercraft - Beer tent and food stalls - Shopping village And much much more… 2018 is an especially important year for an event such as this. It marks the centenary of the end of WWI and also 100 years of the RAF. These two key anniversaries will be marked at this year’s Cotswold Airport Revival Festival with fundraising initiatives for the Royal British Legion and Flying for Freedom, two charities that support the armed forces and veterans. Cotswold Airport was formerly an RAF maintenance base, and later on was home to the red Arrows, and there remain many links today with its historic roots. The aerodrome celebrates two of its own anniversaries this year as well – 80 years of the aerodrome being situated on the site at Kemble; and 15 years of the current owner, Ronan Harvey, and ex-RAF engineer himself, owning the current airport. With all these celebrations, and the new partnership of one of the most unique venues in the UK and one of the largest events promoters in the UK, the revival festival this year is set to be one not to miss! PRESS QUOTES: Tom Siddall, Event Director at Live Promotions Events said: “Live are very much looking forward to working with Cotswold Airport to take the revival event to the next level. We have so much planned and are currently busy confirming all of the fabulous entertainment for the many expected visitors to enjoy. The fact that we have so many anniversaries to celebrate at this year’s event including the RAF centenary makes the prospect of organising the show so very exciting.” Jo Welch, Head of Events & PR at Cotswold Airport said: “The Cotswold Airport Revival Festival is set to become one of the biggest destination events in the area, if not the UK. There is no other event of its kind in the Cotswolds, which is why last year attracted thousands of people for just one day. This year is going to be much bigger and better, and we are especially excited to be putting on air displays for the first time – a nod to our old air shows that used to be here at Kemble and our RAF history. 2018 is a year full of anniversaries, so we have lots to celebrate!” All images please credit ‘Bob Parker and Tim Shepherd’ (More available upon request) PRESS ENQUIRIES: Jo Welch – Head of Events and PR - 01285 771177 [email protected] www.cotswoldairport.com NOTES TO EDITORS: COTSWOLD AIPORT: A Gloucestershire airfield steeped in history, Kemble aerodrome (Cotswold Airport) is now home to a growing general aviation community and a host of successful businesses. Kemble Air Services Ltd, the owners of Cotswold Airport, are totally committed to making it one of the finest airfields in the country without spoiling the natural charm that abounds on this 532-acre site. Best known to many people as the former base of the RAF Red Arrows aerobatic team this Gloucestershire airfield still reverberates to the sound of classic British jets, albeit they are now privately owned. After the departure of the United States Air Force in 1993 Kemble faced a bleak future, and looked destined to go the way of so many ex-military airfields – back to agriculture or an industrial estate. However, over the years local businesses have occupied most of the buildings and aviation has returned to this historic airfield. This was largely due to the successful acquisition of the airfield from the Ministry of Defence by Ronan Harvey and a consortium of local businesses in March 2001. The resurgence of energy that Ronan put back into Cotswold Airport (Kemble) had started several years before he bought the site. He had relocated his own business “Polydron” from Northampton into one of the hangars and as a keen aviator took out a ten year lease on other hangars. This has now grown to such an extent that Kemble is a thriving business park for both aviation and non- aviation companies. Ronan’s company Kemble Air Services Ltd (now managed by his daughter, Suzannah Harvey) operate the airfield and manage the whole site. The AV8 restaurant opened in 2005 is another quality feature in an outstanding success story and is open to the public all year round for all to enjoy. At AV8 you will be able to watch the world fly by in a classy atmosphere with a distinctly Mediterranean feel. LIVE PROMOTIONS EVENTS LTD: Live Promotions Events was founded 50 years ago on the principal of providing interesting, exciting promotional activity and events for many of the leading blue chip companies. It was no accident that in the early 80s, Live decided to create an event that would celebrate the road haulage industry. That event was Truckfest. Truckfest has continued to grow bringing together not only a shop window for the industry but also a large festival enjoyed by not only truckers and their families, but also the public who have taken the events to their heart. Over the years both the national events at Peterborough and Edinburgh and the regional Truckfest events throughout the United Kingdom have increased in attendance year on year. Truckfest alone isn’t the story of Live Promotions, adding to the portfolio of events saw motorcycle, Land Rover, classic and historic car and even vintage and classic aircraft – all as part of the on-going commitment to providing events with universal appeal. In 2012 Live Promotions were asked to manage the entertainment and logistics at Her Majesty The Queen’s visit to Burghley House as part of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations. An event that was a huge success and brought together four counties in the heart of England. With our Managing Director, Colin Ward’s involvement in the music industry spanning 5 decades, it was decided that Live Promotions would create a concert division focusing on providing the very best of entertainment at iconic venues throughout the UK.