Japanese garden is sunk by the exe factor
A new attraction at a Devon pub could soon disappear because of Government bureaucracy. The Fisherman's Cot at Bickleigh, on the banks of the River Exe, is rumoured to have inspired Paul Simon's song Bridge Over Troubled Water. Now the Environment Agency is worried about what will happen if those waters become unduly troubled. It has ruled that the pub's most popular attraction - a Japanese garden - must be demolished because of fears that if the river levels rise, its wooden structures could be dislodged and washed downstream, causing havoc on the way. Managers Craig and Karen Holmes have been given until the middle of this month to remove the attraction, which has been hugely popular with alfresco diners and drinkers. Brewer Eldridge Pope's chief executive Paul Beadle fumed: "Having gone to the trouble and expense of creating such an unusual and popular attraction, we're being forced to remove it due to the remote possibility it might wash downstream, in spite of being securely fixed in place."
Looks like london tourism's on a roll
Do the people at Visit London have a sadistic streak? They've invited Paul Roll, chief executive of the Paris tourist board, to judge its awards. It's the first time an overseas tourism official has been involved in judging the awards. After Paris's humiliating Olympic defeat, what are they trying to do to the poor man? Rub his nose in it? And how likely is it he's going to feel like praising our wonderful capital?
International workforce finds a common language
Sir Rocco Forte's St David's Hotel & Spa in Cardiff, with its 220-strong workforce speaking a staggering total of 32 languages, has become the first hotel in Wales to offer accredited language lessons in Welsh. Staff from Russia, Poland, Portugal and France were among the first to take advantage of the 20-week language training courses run by Pontio Ewrop Cyf. General manager Jason Harding said: "The hotel industry is a truly global employer and the vast majority of our staff possess a very good working knowledge of English when they arrive in Cardiff. We're also delighted that several staff have expressed a desire to learn Welsh, which is why we'll start offering Welsh lessons this month."