City pride gets huge boost from day of Dickens celebrations
CITY leaders were today bursting with pride as spectacular celebrations to mark the 200th birthday of Charles Dickens boosted Portsmouth’s profile.
All eyes were on the city yesterday as the world marked two centuries since the great author’s life began in a humble townhouse in what is now Old Commercial Road.
Important figures from politics, education, business, art and culture declared the day to be an overwhelming success which had increased the city’s profile.
The day saw events in Guildhall Square and at the Dickens Birthplace Museum before huge afternoon and evening celebrations at the New Theatre Royal featuring actor and Dickens expert Simon Callow, and the unveiling of the design for Portsmouth’s Dickens statue.
The leader of Portsmouth City Council, Cllr Gerald Vernon-Jackson, said the benefits to the local economy couldn’t be measured.
‘The day has brought us national and international attention,’ he said.
‘It has been incredibly important because it shows off the city’s history and cultural heritage.
‘But it also gives a real feeling of pride to local people.
‘Hopefully it will encourage our children to become interested in the great stories Dickens wrote and the history of Portsmouth.’
Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt said: ‘It has been fantastic, a great advert for the city.
‘It has just been so well supported and really sends an amazing message to anyone interested in history or Dickens that Portsmouth is the place to be. Hopefully it will also provide a big boost for the city’s schools and tourism that will go on and on.’
Professor Tony Pointon, of the Dickens Fellowship, said: ‘Today has reminded everybody all over the world that Dickens was born in Portsmouth, which many people probably didn’t realise.
‘From America to Australia all eyes were on us as they celebrated this great anniversary.’
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Weather for Portsmouth
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 15 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: North west
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 15 C to 23 C
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Comments
There are 2 comments to this article
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Lee Hunt
Wednesday, February 8, 2012 at 10:48 AMYes, it was great to have the likes of Simon Callow, Timothy West and Sheila Hancock giving their valuable time to this ongoing celebration, and of course to all the participants; but I must also thank all the un-sung people who enabled this year long partnership event - all the council events team who made the day run smoothly and city's asset management teams and workers who got the Dickens Birthplace museum looking so good and all the marketingtourism team effort promoting these events and celebrations on the London Underground and at Heathrow Airport to bring more and more people to Portsmouth to enjoy their time and spend some money; to all the museum teams who pulled out all stops to get the fabulous Dickens exhibition up and running to superb effect at the City Museum. Libraries staff, business team support, Arts officers and education teams taking it to all the schools, and our partners like The News 'Great Read' challenge, 'Eileen' who is almost single-handedly organising 'Barnaby Rudge' at The Kings Theatre, all the children that are rehearsing so hard for so many events, Groundling Theatre fabulous show, New Theatre Royal team who helped looked after Simon Callow and hosted the afternoon, Portsmouth Festivities 'Great Expectations' (Dickens celebration yet to come), BookFest (yet to come) with Hayling Island Bookshop , University of Portsmouth with it's lectures and shows, 'Strong Island', The Dickens Fellowship, Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery so many more, many, many more - not least local people and trades; but especially a big 'thank you' to the brilliant Dominic Kippin - a new dad of twins - who, as the city's literature development officer who has worked a miracle. "Thank you" all for doing such a stunning job and showing just how great Portsmouth is on the world-wide stage. Cllr Lee Hunt Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure & Sports
trafalgar37
Tuesday, February 7, 2012 at 09:54 PMI'm so glad Simon Callow decided to come to Portsmouth as,Broadstairs would have one believe the only things,Dickensian,are all there!
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