Premier Inn

Premier Inn Limited is a British limited service hotel chain and the UK's largest hotel brand, with more than 72,000 rooms and 800 hotels. It operates hotels in a variety of locations including city centres, suburbs and airports, competing with the likes of Travelodgevand Ibis hotels.

The company was established by Whitbread as "Travel Inn" in 1987, to compete with Travelodge. Whitbread bought "Premier Lodge" in July 2004 and merged it with Travel Inn to form the current business under the name "Premier Travel Inn", which was then shortened to "Premier Inn" in October 2007. Premier Inn accounts for 70% of Whitbread's earnings.

All Premier Inn's are built with a restaurant adjoined (often in a separate building). They would provide their own selection of daytime meals but traditionally all served the Premier Inn breakfast. Former Travel Inn sites were mainly accompanied by Whitbread's "Beefeater" or "Brewers Fayre" restaurants and originally" TGi Fridays" until that brand was sold off to a third party. Roadchef restaurants were alongside motorway service sites which were unlicensed and never served the Premier Inn breakfast selection. Premier Lodge sites were accompanied by pubs owned by "The Spirit Group" such as "Chef and Brewer" or "Millers Kitchen". Inner city locations feature a brand called "Thyme" located within the hotel building. Originally Travel Inn had "Slice" and Premier Lodge has "BarEst" which were pretty much identical. "The Kitchen" was the name given to smaller city centre restaurants. Former Express by Holiday Inn sites have internal breakfast rooms where kitchens were added on to offer cooked breakfasts to guests as EBHI used to only offer a continental selection. Those sites would have a Mitchells & Butlers restaurant next to it but were run independently. As restaurants have changed hands over recent years many have started their own breakfast menus which has led Premier Inn to turn some of its rooms into small breakfast rooms and kitchens to continue offering their breakfast menus to guests at each site.

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/home.html

Alex Fox

Good City

Milton Keynes is a city and the largest settlement in Buckinghamshire, England, about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms the northern boundary of the urban area; a tributary, the River Ouzel, meanders through its linear parks and balancing lakes. Approximately 25% of the urban area is parkland or woodland and includes two Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs).

https://www.mkcdc.org.uk/current-projects/good-city

Alex Fox

The Roald Dahl Museum

The Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre is a museum in the village of Great Missenden in Buckinghamshire, England. Children's and short story writer Roald Dahl lived in the village in Gipay House for 36 years until his death in 1990.

The museum was officially opened on 10 June 2005 by Cherie Blair and open to the public on 11 June 2005. It is housed in an old coaching inn and yard, which has been converted into a museum at a cost of £4.5 million. Funding was provided by the Dahl family, Dahl's publishers, charitable foundations and corporate and private donors. The museum houses all of Dahl's main papers: his manuscripts, business and personal correspondence and his "Ideas Books". It also offers regular workshops and hosts events that help to enhance creativity and writing skills. It is run by an independent registered charity.

In 2008 the museum won the "Best Small Visitor Attraction" award from Enjoy England the website of the country's official tourist board.

https://www.roalddahl.com/museum/

Alex Fox

Exploring the Journey from Alchemy to Chemistry: A Fascinating Workshop

On a day out at the Milton Keynes Central Library, four people - Chloe, Andrew, Guimin and I went on a journey through time and science at a workshop called '1001 Inventions - Journey ic from Alchemy to Chemistry'.

This workshop was part of the Commemoration of the International Year of the Period Table of Chemical Elements. It's aim was to pay homage to the contributions and accomplishments of people from diverse cultures in the field of Chemistry.

One historical figure mentioned during the workshop was Ibn Al Haytham. An important 7th Century Alchemist from the Islamic world. Al Haytham was a pioneer in inventing several essential instruments, including the Distillation device. His innovations significantly contributed to the advancement of science and laid the foundation of modern Chemistry.

The event was an incredibly engaging experience and also fun for all of us who attended. It featured live performances, stimulating audience discussions, and hands on experiments that ignited the spark of curiosity among the participants.

https://www.1001inventions.com/fun-learning/films-videos/alchemy-to-chemistry/

Alex Fox