Date: 1 May 2007
Originally published in: Bournemouth.co.uk website (UK)
Written by:
Popstar, gardener and mother of two, Kim Wilde’s diverse interests find harmony in Bournemouth. Kim has visited Bournemouth on several occasions.
Both as a pop star and also with her husband and two young children for short breaks. Kim has many fond memories of Bournemouth, so we invited her back to spend a long weekend with her family and here she tells us why she finds Bournemouth a haven.
Kim said: When Bournemouth Tourism invited me back for a long weekend with my family, I jumped at the chance. Not only to give myself a break from my hectic schedule, but also to spend quality time with my family in such a beautiful place with so much to see and do.With my passion for gardening, of course the award winning gardens which I’d heard so much about had to be the first port of call. I had seen Bournemouth’s own entry at the Chelsea Flower Show in May 2006 and thought it was a fantastic floral display – really quirky and unique for Chelsea. It was no surprise that RHS President declared them the Best Floral Exhibit in the Great Pavilion to go with their Gold Medal!
I already knew that there were seven miles of sandy beach in Bournemouth so we had plenty to choose from when we headed there. Bournemouth also has 6 Seaside Awards and 4 Blue Flags, with certain beaches recommended by the Marine Conservation Society. We bought an ice cream at Bournemouth Pier Approach and strolled onto the Pier. We watched people kayaking and surfing and saw the Shockwave speedboat throwing people around and heard their screams of delight (or panic!) We decided to board the Dorset Belles Boat for a more sedate cruise along the bay towards Poole. This is a great way to explore the area. I’m told that an artificial surf reef is going to be built at Boscombe Beach. Apparently it’s going to be the first in Europe and I’m sure that both beginners and keen surfers will enjoy trying out the new bigger waves when they come in August 2007!
We’d have loved to have had more time to see the rest of Dorset, but the next time we’re in this area we’ll stay in Bournemouth and use it as our base to explore more of the county. I do hope you get chance to come to Bournemouth this year and experience what we have. There’s so much more to see and do and remember to check out the events on their website – I hear there’s a good event in June – the Bournemouth Live! Music Festival – a week full of live bands performing in the gardens at the seafront and in the town centre. My kind of town…