Published on: Saturday, 18 April 2015
Last updated: Wednesday, 5 October 2016
Abellio Greater Anglia is to be thePrincipal Travel Partner for the 2015 Norfolk & Norwich Festival. The company is continuing its proactivepartnership with the major regional arts event - which launched its full programmelast month. The partnership will see the train operator promote the Festivaland the good value fares available to encourage people to travel to Festivalevents by train. It will also providerail tickets for some of the artists travelling to and from the Festival andsponsor two events including a concert of music by the Philharmonia Orchestraat St Andrew's Hall on Friday 15 May and the performance by Abdullah Ibrahim atNorwich Theatre Royal (also supported by the Eastern Daily Press) on Wednesday20 May.
The partnership continues a positive linkbetween the region's railways and the Festival which now stretches back aquarter of a century to 1990. Over that25 year period, the support of the local train operator has helped the Festivalexpand from a medium size classical music festival, to an internationallyrecognised arts festival that is one of the four biggest in the UK – an annualcelebration that includes jazz, theatre, dance, outdoor events, visual arts andclassical music.
The partnership, which began with alocomotive train naming has included a special train livery, "curtainraiser" performances at the station, community events, employeeinvolvement in the Festival, promotion and marketing of the Festival to a wideraudience, special rail travel offers, train tickets for artists, opportunitiesfor corporate hospitality and building wider stakeholder links. There is also still a locomotive namedNorfolk and Norwich Festival which powers trains between Norwich and London,promoting the Festival through Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex and in the capital.
Further good news for Festival-goers fromfar and wide is that there is no disruptive engineering work taking place onNorfolk's rail routes or the main line to London during the Festival periodfrom 8 to 24 May, so rail travellers arriving from local stations in Norfolk,other regional centres such as Ipswich and Cambridge and also from London forFestival events, can also plan journeys to and from the Festival with theconfidence of a smooth, direct train journey.
With late night trains on Mondays toSaturdays from Norwich to Cambridge (at 22.40), Lowestoft (at 22.40),Sheringham (at 22.45 - or 23.05 on Fridays and Saturdays), Great Yarmouth (at23.00) and Ipswich (at 23.05), the Festival and Abellio Greater Anglia arehoping that even more people will use the train to come into Norwich and enjoythis year’s 17 day programme of music, song, dance and performance.
Commenting on this year's partnershipbetween the Festival and Abellio Greater Anglia, Jonathan Denby, Head ofCorporate Affairs for Abellio Greater Anglia said: "Abellio Greater Angliais delighted to be the Travel Partner for the 2015 Norfolk & NorwichFestival, extending a highly successful relationship between the Festival andthe region's railways which now extends back 25 years.
“We will be helping to promote theFestival, providing tickets for artists and taking a proactive role in thisyear's event, extending and expanding our partnership from our first links asAbellio Greater Anglia when our franchise began in 2012. Banners and brochures promoting the Festivalwill be in place at Norwich station. In addition one of our Class 90locomotives used on the Norwich to London route continues to carry the Norfolkand Norwich Festival name (having been re-dedicated and repainted in our smartnew livery last year).
“Our partnership should help the Festivalto go from strength to strength, with a fantastic annual celebration which isfun for audiences and the local community, whilst at the same time supportingthe local economy and building Norfolk and Norwich’s reputation. We hope that this year's Festival is a greatsuccess and that many people will travel to Festival events by train."
William Galinsky, Artistic Director ofNorfolk & Norwich Festival said: "The relationship between Norfolk& Norwich Festival and Abellio Greater Anglia continues to grow year onyear and enables us to bring artists and audiences in to the county, supportingour aim to become a destination festival and create a positive impact onvisitor numbers to the region. Furthermore the Norfolk & Norwich Festivalis proud to work with Abellio Greater Anglia to enhance the economic andcultural value of the county for those living and working in its communities.”