That extra mile

Oct 7 2007 by Roger Domeneghetti, Sunday Sun

THOUSANDS of sandcastles on a beach and a spectacular display of lights underneath the surface of Coniston Water will be among the highlights as the FRED outdoor art festival enters its second week.

The annual festival of site-specific artworks, which runs until October 14, has already being attracting visitors to see some amazing and innovative works of art at locations across the Lake District and other parts of Cumbria.

For example, walkers making their way up one of the Lake District’s most popular fells, the Old Man of Coniston, have been treated to a change of view thanks to artist Charlie Wells. His piece Hefted to the Hills is made up of large coloured cairns (piles of stones) in the stream that flows down through the Coppermines Valley near Coniston village.

Other pieces are at Great Langdale, in woods near Kirkby Stephen and at Morecambe Bay, commemorating the cockle-pickers who died there.

• AS two British citizens prepare to return to Britain for medical care following the terrorist bombing in The Maldives, leading online travel insurance provider, Essential Travel urges travellers to check that their travel insurance policy would assist in a terrorism scenario.

The couple being evacuated to have medical care in Manchester are receiving financial assistance towards the cost of evacuation from The Maldives government.

Others might not find this sort of assistance on offer, as there is no obligation on the part of a foreign country to help pay the huge cost of medical evacuation. Such costs can easily reach five figures.

Although it is still more likely for a tourist to fall ill abroad, or be injured, than to be caught up in a terrorism scenario, it does pay to check what an insurance provider covers on their policy.

If a person insured with Essential Travel was injured or killed as a result of an act of terrorism, the policy would provide cover for their medical and repatriation costs. It would also pay out for death benefit, loss of limbs or eyesight, and disability in this circumstance. To find out more about Essential Travel’s policies see www.essentialtravel.co.uk

• AER ARANN, Europe’s premier regional airline, is celebrating its first anniversary of the Galway service from Leeds Bradford. In addition, due to the success of the Cork service, the airline will increase the frequency of flights to this lively city-break destination to daily flights for the winter, up from five days per week.

Commenting on the announcement, Colin Lewis, head of sales and marketing for Aer Arann said: “The Galway and Cork services, two of the top Irish short-break destinations, have proved to be huge success stories for Aer Arann at Leeds Bradford.”