BMW Group Plant Oxford announces partnership with Oxfordshire 2007!

Monday 29 January, 2007

BMW Group Plant Oxford has announced its support of four key special projects within Oxfordshire 2007, the programme coordinated by Oxford Inspires, which celebrates a thousand years of Oxfordshire.

The special events are: Luminox a nocturnal art installation and civic celebration taking place 15–17 March 2007; Street Olympix a festival of outdoor sporting events to be held in central Oxford on 12 May 2007; The Festival Concert on 13 May 2007, a large-scale, spectacular musical feast drawing on the richness and strength of music in the city and in the county, and involving talented musicians of all ages; The Big Picnic with the Oxford Muse continuing Plant Oxford's support of the Oxford Muse's work with Conversation Meals and a Big Picnic.

BMW Group Plant Oxford is committed to Oxfordshire 2007 and will be a major partner, supporting the work of Oxford Inspires, as corporate partner, and providing additional support for these four 2007 highlights.

Alexandra Brooks, Corporate Communications Manager, said: "Plant Oxford recognizes the impact and influence that major manufacturing facilities can have on their communities and we feel it important to be involved. We are proud to support a number of local activities: Cowley Road Carnival, Creation Theatre and the Children's Hospital just to name a few. We believe Plant Oxford's partnership with Oxfordshire 2007 will help to make the 'Home of MINI' a more vibrant and diverse community to live, work and play in."

Kathelene Weiss, Oxford Inspires' Development Director, said today: "Oxfordshire 2007 is a year which celebrates the diversity, vibrancy and creativity of the county. It's very much a year by and for the people of Oxfordshire and we are delighted that locally-based companies such as BMW Group Plant Oxford are lending their support to make this a memorable year. Partnerships like these between businesses and cultural organisations are vital to the county's cultural life."

The four special projects are Oxford-based and cover a wide spectrum of cultural activity:

• Luminox, 15–17 March: a nocturnal art installation and civic celebration taking place in Broad Street. For three nights the installation will change central Oxford into a transcendent environment, allowing the public to experience the space in a new way, augmented by art, music and a contemplative promenade. The centrepiece will be a large-scale art installation in fire, metal and wood, created by internationally renowned artists Carabosse: thousands of individual fires and lamps draw out the elegant lines of the street and create a magical world of warmth and flame. At the heart of this elemental world will be a specially created sculpture by Ted Dewan in the form of a 15m-high spire containing a giant pendulum, combining the themes of time and place that lie at the heart of Oxfordshire 2007.

• The Street Olympix, 12 May: a festival of outdoor sporting events in central Oxford. There will be sprint competitions, tugs of war and a one-mile street race, celebrating the first sub-four minute mile, run in Oxford by Sir Roger Bannister. Linking with the Lord Mayor's Parade the event will culminate in South Parks, with basketball, football, tug of war, free-running and exhibitions and activities for the whole family.

• The Festival Concert, 13 May: a large-scale, spectacular open-air musical feast in South Park, which will draw on the richness and strength of the music in the city and in the county, and which involves talented musicians of all ages. The project builds bridges between the city, county and universities, state and independent schools in the county, amateur and professional musical bodies and enthusiastic musicians of all ages and stages. The concert will be a real celebration taking place in South Park and involving hundreds of performers and will draw together threads of the county's rich musical life.

• The Big Picnic with the Oxford Muse: Plant Oxford continues its support of the work of the Oxford Muse. In 2006 Plant Oxford supported a number of conversation meals designed to get different peoples and communities talking. Conversation Meals leave people inspired, moved and surprised by how much they share with others. The Picnic will be the largest Conversation Meal to take place in England.


Notes

Oxfordshire 2007 is a celebration of Oxfordshire's 1000th birthday through a year of special events, anniversaries, festivals and cultural highlights. Oxfordshire 2007 showcases the remarkable array of talent that exists in every corner of the county and represents a collaboration between hundreds of cultural organisations, individuals and communities. Made possible by generous support from Oxfordshire County Council and Oxford City Council the year will be a real endorsement of Oxford’s status as a European Centre of Culture and Oxfordshire’s reputation as one of the country's most prized visitor destinations.

Oxfordshire 2007 is additionally supported by Oxfordshire County Council, Oxford City Council, Arts Council England and through partnerships with BMW Group Plant Oxford, The Oxford Bus Company, Midcounties Co-operative, Update Software, First Great Western, Thames Water, BBC Oxford and The Oxford Times.

Oxford Inspires is the county's cultural development agency and is providing coordination and practical help to put on the celebration. It receives financial support from Oxford City Council, Oxfordshire County Council, the University of Oxford and Oxford Brookes University. It is also supported by a number of corporate members.

BMW Group Plant Oxford is the birthplace of MINI. Since the introduction of MINI production at Plant Oxford significant investment by the BMW Group has enhanced Plant Oxford's reputation as a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility complemented by a well trained, flexible and dedicated workforce of 4,700 associates. BMW Group Plant Oxford plays an active role in addressing some of the region's primary economic, environmental and social challenges and is establishing itself as a valuable and respected member of the community.

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