Local tourism forum raises over €3,500 at race night

Kells Tourism Forum raised over €3,500 with a race night last Friday for the new tourism brochure it is publishing. The forum is in the process of printing and distributing a new high-quality tourism brochure for Kells, which will carry the Meath and Boyne Valley brands and will fill a sorely needed gap in visitor information. The forum is applying for grant aid and has to meet 50 per cent of the cost itself. The group is also currently working on the layout, photos and colours for the brochure. The forum wants to thank all those who sponsored races, horses and raffle prizes and wants to remind people to make sure they contact it with businesses/attractions that should be in the brochure. Meanwhile, the Spire of Loyd in Kells will be bathed in green light for St Patrick's Day, thanks to the efforts of Kells Town Council and the Kells Tourism Forum. The forum invited a representative of the American Embassy to turn on the lights last night (Tuesday). The greening of the lights is part of a worldwide initiative by Tourism Ireland, who are 'lighting' up monuments around the world to showcase Ireland's tourism product to a huge global audience. The Spire of Loyd, an important landmark since 1791, will be visible in green from 10km away. The spire is owned and maintained by Kells Town Council and plans are well advanced for the controlled opening of the tower to the public in 2011.