insideKENT Magazine Issue 28 - July 2014 | Page 11

NEWS A SPORTING CHANCE FOR SHARKS DISABILITY SWIMMER, BILLY HORNBY RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS BUSINESS AWARD A young swimmer from Orpington recently cleaned up at the European Championships, walking away with six gold medals. 18-year-old Billy Birchmore was born with Down's syndrome, but he doesn’t let that get in the way of his love for swimming. He currently swims at Orpington Ojays, Sharks Disability Swimming and London Disability Swimming, and is a great hope for Great Britain in the Down Syndrome World Championships (DSISO) in Mexico in November this year, to take on Australia and the rest of the world. At the recent European DS Swimming Championships in Southampton, Billy won six gold medals in the 50/100/200 Free and 50 Fly, 50 Back and a Relay. Billy was only stopped from emulating Mark Spitz's seven gold medals by a DQ in the 100 Fly, which he had comfortably won. Billy’s sponsors, top-25 UK accountancy firm, Wilkins Kennedy, contributed to Billy’s costs of travelling and competing in Mexico at the Down Syndrome International and World Championship games. Nick Parrett, partner at Wilkins Kennedy, Orpington, said: “We have sponsored Billy for events in the past and his determination to succeed is plain for all to see. Billy is now 18 and has grown to be an amazing young man. He really has star quality in his personality and we wish him all the best at WK.” FREMLIN WALK PREPARES TO LAUNCH ITS BRAND NEW LOOK Hornby Hobbies, the UK’s leading model railway brand, is delighted to have won the Arts and Business Sponsorship Award for their partnership with National Railway Museum on a massive project to reunite six life-size steam locos. Eight awards were presented to the best Arts and Business partnerships at a special 35th anniversary awards ceremony on 21st May 2014. Arts and Business are global leaders in developing private sector partnership with the arts. Culture secretary, Sajid Javid, said: "The winners of these awards are innovative partnerships that are not only inspiring cultural success, but unlocking the huge economic potential of the UK’s art and culture sectors too. These winning partnerships are shining examples of the success that arts and business collaborations can bring to projects across the country.” Nat Southworth, sales and brand director at Kent-based Hornby, said: “We are absolutely thrilled that our project has been acknowledged with this prestigious business award. We were happy to be able to lend our support to this massively significant event in the rail enthusiasts’ calendar; it was important to reunite these majestic engines and make them available for everyone to see.” The project saw the six surviving A4 Pacifics come together from around the world to mark the 75th anniversary of the world record achieved by Mallard on 3rd July 1938. At 126 miles per hour, Mallard was the fastest steam locomotive ever. The exhibition of the 'Streaks' – with their distinctive Bugatti racing car inspired design – was visited by tens of thousands of people. For the reunion, two of the trains travelled from over the Atlantic: Dwight D. Eisenhower travelled from Wisconsin, and Dominion of Canada from Montreal. Like Mallard, they are no longer running but sported new coats of paint for the event. Bittern, Sir Nigel Gresley and Union of South Africa are privately owned and still operating. The marketing team at Fremlin Walk spent the day at one of Maidstone’s most popular tourist destinations this month, as they prepared to launch the centre’s summer advertising campaign, newly designed website and social media pages. The team was on location at Maidstone Museum & Art Gallery to shoot the new seasonal brand campaign for the centre, using clothing and accessories from Fremlin Walk’s leading retailers including House of Fraser, Pandora and Oasis. The theme was sophisticated, elegant and stylish, with the shoot making the most of the beautiful surroundings. Fremlin Walk’s stylists handpicked a collection of pieces, creating a summer 2014 look book of key seasonal trends, including bold feminine prints, block citrus colours and a chic twist on festival style. James Hole, of James Hole Photography, used innovative lighting techniques to showcase the collection and create a truly unique Fremlin Walk style. Visit www.fremlinwalkshopping.com from July onwards to see the summer 2014 look book. However, if you cannot wait, here’s a peek behind the scenes at one of the key shots. www.hornbyhobbies.co.uk 11