www.Parctel.com: International stars Brian Blessed and Sean Bean have been back to their Yorkshire roots to unveil a statue of fellow great British icon, Robin Hood at Britain’s newest Airport.
In a celebratory event to mark the success of Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield since it launched in 2005, the homegrown stars (Brian is from Doncaster and Sean from Sheffield) revealed the 10ft bronze statue at an official ceremony at the Airport on Wednesday (28 February 2007).
Sculpted by bronze specialist Neale Andrew, the statue is situated on the first floor for all passengers travelling through the Airport to see.
David Ryall, managing director, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield said:
“Both Sean and Brian are proud of their Yorkshire roots and remain committed to the ongoing development of the region, so we were delighted that they were able to mark this occasion with us.”
Since opening in 2005, the Airport (part of the Peel Airports Group) has welcomed 1.68 million passengers through its doors. Serving a huge catchment area, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, North Nottinghamshire and further afield, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield has opened the region to new inbound tourists and business travellers from across the globe.
Neil Pakey, chief executive of Robin Hood Airport’s operators Peel Airports Group said:
“When we were choosing the name of the airport, we were amazed to learn of the real Robin Hood story and of how the band of outlaws first laid siege to the castles of Yorkshire before moving into North Nottinghamshire. The work of historian David Greenwood deserves great attention and the airport site is truly the epicentre of all things Robin Hood”.
Neil continued, “The statue, based on paintings from the time now adorning the walls of the church of St Peter and St Paul’s in Pickering, North Yorkshire, is as close as you can get to how Robin appeared at the time. We are delighted the image of how Robin Hood appeared is now available for all to see here at Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield”.
Having started out with just a handful of operators – Thomsonfly and Ryanair being the largest – the airport now plays host to numerous operators, flying to 45 destinations, with new and exciting long haul destinations being added on a regular basis. Later this year, new routes to Canada and Pakistan will open.
Terry Hodgkinson, chair of Yorkshire Forward said:
“With the second longest runway in the North of England, Robin Hood Airport Doncaster Sheffield is a key addition to the region’s transport offering, bringing the number of international airports in the region to three. The regional economy is worth £75 billion, demonstrating the region’s capacity for global business and highlighting that with its geographical location at the centre of the UK, its ports network and international airports, Yorkshire and Humber is the ideal location for global business.”
Robin Hood Airport is committed to being a responsible airport and in conjunction with South Yorkshire Forest gives passengers the opportunity to contribute to their local environment and take a step towards offsetting the carbon emissions from their flight.
The new initiative known as ‘Last Call!’ provides passengers with the opportunity to contribute to their local environment before or after taking a flight from Robin Hood Airport by helping to plant trees in the nearby South Yorkshire Forest.
Peel is the first Airport group to take on a carbon emissions offsetting scheme of this scale.
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