Media invitation: The Bishop of Rochester to Launch Olympic exhibition
3rd September 2008
As Team GB celebrates its largest Olympic gold medal haul in the last century, The Bishop of Rochester, The Rt Revd Dr Michael Nazir-Ali made a special appearance at the launch of an exciting new exhibition at Rochester’s Guildhall Museum on 2nd September.
Sport for All: Going for Gold in Medway is timed to coincide with the official start of the Cultural Olympiad. It reflects on the rich history of sport in Medway and Kent, showcases local talent and looks forward to
2012 and the opportunity it presents to some of Medway’s most promising young athletes.
The exhibition has been designed by the museum’s in house technical team and corporate design team, and is a striking mix of unique and quirky objects, film and video installations, and interactive elements to further stimulate the passion for 2012 which is becoming a hallmark of Medway.
The result is a fun, colourful, informative experience suitable for all age groups. Visitors are invited to pose on the Winner’s podium, wear a ‘gold’ medal, and see their image projected onto a large plasma screen.
The Rt Revd Dr Michael Nazir-Ali has a personal interest in the life and times of the “Running Bishop”, Christopher Maude Chavasse, the Rochester prelate who ran in the 1908 London Olympic Games. A pair of 100 year old running shorts worn by Chavasse will be among the many unusual artefacts on display at the launch.
Other exhibits include Britain’s oldest known surviving gymslip, a half size replica of the FA Cup won by the Royal Engineers in the 1875 FA Cup Final, a state-of-the-art racing bike inspired by the 2007 Tour de France, and a 230 year old cricket bat. Two short action-packed films will also be screened highlighting Medway’s involvement with sport and the 2012 London Olympics.
Editors: More information fromLisa Caleno on 01634 338308 or email lisa.caleno@medway.gov.uk
Going for Gold in Medway runs until Sunday March 29th 2009
The Exhibition
The Guildhall Museum’s new temporary exhibition highlights key aspects of Medway’s rich sporting heritage and showcases the outstanding sporting achievements of some of Medway’s most talented young sportsmen and sportswomen who are ‘Going for Gold’ in their chosen sports.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics, the forthcoming 2010 Modern Pentathlon World Cup event to be held in Gillingham, and the long-awaited 2012 Olympic Games in London have given local athletes and sports enthusiasts an exciting focus for the present and future.
Sporting facilities in Medway are currently being upgraded.
Visitors will be able to find out more about the multi-million pound Medway Park sports development planned for Gillingham.
This facility will host the 2010 Modern Pentathlon World Cup and offer a wide range of exciting sporting facilities that will meet the training requirements of international teams participating in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Local residents will of course also benefit from the new state-of-the art sporting facilities planned for the site.
The museum’s ‘unstuffy’ new exhibition is fun, colourful, informative, and suitable for all age groups. Visitors to the new exhibition are invited to:-
Pose on the Winner’s podium, wear a ‘gold’ medal, and see their image projected onto a large plasma screen.
Watch two short action-packed in-gallery films highlighting Medway’s involvement with sport and the 2012 London Olympics.
View some unusual local and Kentish sporting memorabilia. Unusual exhibits include the following:-
· Britain’s oldest known surviving gymslip (1910). The gymslip was invented in Kent (as was the game of Netball!).
· A half size replica of the FA Cup won by the Royal Engineers in the 1875 FA Cup Final.
· A state-of-the-art racing bike inspired by the 2007 Tour de France. Medway featured prominently on the 2007 Tour de France route.
· A 230 year old cricket bat made at Sevenoaks, Kent. This is one of the oldest surviving cricket bats in the world. Rochester fielded its own cricket team (the Rochester Punch Club Society) as early as 1718.
· A pair of 100 year old running shorts worn by the ‘Running Bishop’ (Christopher Maude Chavasse) the Rochester prelate who ran in the 1908 London Olympic Games.
· Kit and uniforms worn by former Medway Olympians and local sporting heroes who have achieved top level status in their respective sports.
· Visitors to the exhibition can also find out about the history of such sports as football, cricket, rowing, netball, swimming and cycling. Colourful text and graphic panels highlight Medway’s past and present sporting prowess.
The Guildhall Museum
The Guildhall Museum, situated at the river end of Rochester High Street, is open Tuesday-Sunday 10am – 4.30 pm (last admissions at 4 pm). The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission to the museum is free of charge.
The new exhibition is in the temporary exhibitions gallery on the first floor of the Guildhall.
The Guildhall Museum is one of Kent’s busiest and most popular museums attracting 65,000 visitors a year, including thousands of school pupils who visit
the museum for facilitated educational activities. The museum’s popular Education Service has built up a regional reputation for excellence. The museum is well used by Medway residents, day-trippers and overseas visitors to Medway. Collections held by the museum cover a wide range of subject areas including geology, archaeology, natural history and social history.
Most popular exhibits in the museum’s two prestigious listed buildings are ‘The Hulks Experience’ a three-deck part reconstruction of a Medway Napoleonic Prisoner-of-War Hulk; the Dickens Discovery Room and Audio Visual Theatre; and the ‘Rochester Riverside Eye’ which provides real-time stunning camera images of Rochester Riverside and Rochester’s heritage quarter.