England

So much to offer ....!

Many companies have already discovered the real benefits to be gained from conducting their corporate conferences, incentive award trips and special interest tours in England. They recognize that when only the best will do, England is the business and incentive travel destination.

Several unique factors combine to ensure that as a business and incentive travel destination England enjoys unparalleled success.

England's first-class transport infrastructure ensures that delegates and guests are guaranteed a smooth journey to their conference and incentive destinations.

When it comes to top-level conference venues, England's impressive range is unrivalled. Venues range from stately homes converted into residential conference centres, to purpose-built centres.
Venues also include countryside conference hotels, luxury and middle-of-the-range city centre hotels, splendid medieval castles, stately homes, ensuring there is something to suit every corporate budget.

When it comes to business and incentive support services, England boasts unequalled expertise in a highly sophisticated industry. Dedicated teams of professionals are skilled in various arts of conference organization, destination management and product launches.

England is a delightful tapestry of interwoven diverse regions each with its individual character, culture and heritage forged by centuries of history. England's North Country, is an ancient region of spectacular landscape, punctuated by battle-scarred castles and evocative ruined abbeys. South of England has lovely cathedral cities, like Canterbury, Winchester surrounded by landscape rich in antiquity and legendary folklore. The beautifully preserved Cotswold villages in honey-coloured stone in the picturesque Central England countryside is a treasure.

England is equally famous for its lively cosmopolitan cities, like Manchester, currently the place for music, sport and fashion and Birmingham with its opera and symphony orchestra companies. Of course, vibrant London, is of the world's coolest capitals.

England's rich variety is utterly unique .........

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Facts and figures about UNITED KINGDOM!

The fact is .....!

United Kingdom
The UK is made up of Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales) and Northern Ireland, and is one of the 25 member states of the European Union (EU).

Area
Land and water: 152,033 square miles

Population
The UK – approximately 60.6 million (England 50,714,000; Wales 2,977,000; Scotland 5,108,000; Northern Ireland 1,733,000).

Languages
The two official languages in Britain are English and Welsh, English being the most widely spoken. Scottish Gaelic is also spoken in some parts of Scotland.

People
The majority of the population is English, Scottish, Welsh and Irish. However, Britain is an extremely diverse nation with a strong culture of racial integration and unity.

Religion
Most people are Christian (71%), although all other religions including Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam and Sikhism are freely practised. About 23% of Britain follow no particular religion.

Government The UK is a constitutional monarchy that is a representative democracy, where Queen Elizabeth II is recognised as the head of state, and the elected Prime Minister – Gordon Brown – is the head of government.

Economic profile
The UK is a leading trading power and a financial centre. Agriculture is an important industry and highly efficient. Primary energy, like coal and oil, are major contributors to the economy, but services like banking and insurance are the greatest contributors.

Currency
Britain uses the pound sterling. The sign for the Great British Pound (GBP) is £.

Time zone
29 October – 26 March: Coordinated Universal Time (UTC)25 March – 29 October: UTC + 1back to top

Climate
Britain has a fairly temperate climate and is sometimes overcast. The weather can vary greatly from day to day, but generally summer (June-August) is a warm 14-25 °C, and winter (December-February) is a cool 1-4 °C.

Major UK holidays 2007
1 January, 2 January (Scotland), 17 March (Northen Ireland), 6 and 9 April, 7and 28 May, 12 July (Northen Ireland), 6 August (Scotland), 27 August (not Scotland), 25 December, 26 December.

Weights & measures
Historically Britain used the Imperial System, but new regulations make use of the Metric System compulsory with the exception of a few items, for example distance and speed are measured in miles and miles per hour.

Electricity
Voltage is 240 volts AC at 50HZ. Appliances generally use standard 3-pin square plugs and sockets.

Brief history
Great Britain was the dominant industrial and maritime power of the 19th century and played a leading role in developing parliamentary democracy and in advancing literature and science.

At its peak, the British Empire stretched over one-fourth of the earth's surface. The first half of the 20th century saw the UK's strength seriously depleted in two World Wars. The second half witnessed the dismantling of the Empire and the UK rebuilding itself into a modern and prosperous European nation. As one of five permanent members of the UN Security Council, a founding member of NATO, and of the Commonwealth, the UK pursues a global approach to foreign policy.

The timeline of Britain
Neolithic, Bronze & Iron Ages: 8300 BC – 42 AD ‘Britain’ itself did not exist until around 6500 BC, when the English Channel formed separating Britain from the rest of Europe. The first settlers here were hunter-gatherers, who spent much of their lives travelling in search of food. Around 750 BC iron was introduced into Britain, which led the way for the production of sophisticated and durable tools and weapons.

Romano Britain: 43 – 1065 AD
In 43 AD the Roman army crossed the Channel and quickly defeated any resistance from local tribes. The Romans founded Londinium (London) and built military roads throughout the country. Within ten years, Roman rule had reached far into the territories of England and Wales. The Roman way of life continued in Britain until the 5th century, after which Britons were left more or less to fend for themselves.

Anglo-Normans & Middle Ages: 1066 –1347
In 1066 Duke William of Normandy invaded Britain and famously defeated King Harold of England, who legend has it was shot with an arrow through the eye during the Battle of Hastings. William of Normandy went on to rule England and Scotland, radically changing the class system and changing the official language to French. In 1216, Henry III was crowned king, but was unpopular throughout his rule.

Late Medieval: 1348 – 1484
The bubonic plague – or Black Death – reached England in 1348 and quickly spread to Wales and Scotland, killing up to a third of the population by the end of 1350. The plague persistently re-emerged in Britain until the 17th century, severely affecting the country's economic balance. In order to combat the devastating effects of the plague, the ruling classes attempted to restore economic stability through parliamentary legislation.

Tudors Stuarts: 1485 – 1713
In 1485, Henry Tudor invaded England and defeated Richard III to assume sovereignty. He went on to marry Elizabeth of York – daughter of Edward IV. In 1603 Elizabeth I – the Virgin Queen – died. With Elizabeth leaving no successor, James VI, King of Scots (son of Mary, Queen of Scots), succeeded as James I, King of England, effectively making him the first King of Great Britain.

Georgians: 1714 - 1836
After the death of Queen Anne, George I became king, whose reign saw the development of the function of prime minister. Although the term ‘prime minister’ was not used at the time, Sir Robert Walpole assumed the role typical of a prime minister thanks to his successes in developing economic growth for the country.

Victorians: 1837 - 1900
Victoria – the longest reigning British monarch – became Queen in 1837, aged just eighteen. During her reign, she introduced a number of constitutional changes and the spirit of these changes led to the publishing of the people's charter, which laid out six demands including universal manhood suffrage and annual parliamentary elections. The charter was continually rejected in parliament, but today five out of the six original demands are firm parts of the British constitution.

Early 20th Century: 1901 - 1944
The early twentieth century saw advances in science and technology that were unimaginable in previous eras. Among the ground-breaking achievements of this period were: the invention of the television by the EMI-Marconi Corporation; and subsequent founding of the British Broadcasting Company (BBC); the discovery of penicillin by Alexander Fleming; and insights into the structure of the atom, which led to the development of nuclear weapons and energy.

Post World War II: 1945 - 2006
In 1945 the Labour Party won their first general election, going on to form the National Health Service, which many regard as Labour’s greatest achievement. Post-war rationing continued, but the era was marked by public enthusiasm and hope for the future. Since then, Britain has faced a number of economic crises, but survives today as one of the world’s leading trade and financial centres, with advanced public services and a thriving economy.

Government
The UK is a constitutional monarchy that is a representative democracy, where Queen Elizabeth II is recognised as the head of state, and the elected Prime Minister – Gordon Brown – is the head government.

Parliament
The three elements that make up Parliament are the Queen, the House of Lords and the elected House of Commons. They meet together only on occasions of symbolic significance such as the State Opening of Parliament, when the Commons are summoned by the Queen to the House of Lords. The agreement of all three elements is normally required for legislation, but that of the Queen is given as a matter of course. The main functions of Parliament are:
to pass laws;to provide, by voting for taxation, the means of carrying on the work of government;to scrutinise government policy and administration, including proposals for expenditure; to debate the major issues of the day. Scotland has its own parliament, and Wales an elected Assembly, which sit in Edinburgh and Cardiff respectively. Both Scotland and Wales remain part of the United Kingdom and have continued representation in the Parliament at Westminster in London.

The monarchyHistory of the monarchy
The monarchy is the oldest institution of government. Queen Elizabeth II is directly descended from King Egbert, who united England under his rule in 829. The only interruption in the history of the monarchy was the republic, which lasted from 1649 to 1660.

Head of State
Today, the Queen is not only Head of State, but also an important symbol of national unity. The Queen's title in Britain is 'Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and of Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith'. In the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the Queen is represented by a Lieutenant-Governor.

The Commonwealth
Although the seat of the monarchy is in Britain, the Queen is also head of state of a number of Commonwealth states. In each state, the Queen is represented by a Governor-General, appointed by her on the advice of the ministers of the country concerned and completely independent of the British Government. In each case the form of the royal title varies. Other Commonwealth states are republics or have their own monarchies. In British-dependent territories, governors usually represent the Queen.

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