Welcome to the very first issue of DLUXE Coventry. 2021 is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city and its residents to stand proud and grab this world stage with both hands.
DLUXE Coventry in both E-Magazine and the subsequent printed version will focus firmly on what to do, where to go, what to see and how to live your very best life in the city at this most exciting time.
For those who don’t yet know us, we’ve been publishing magazines throughout the Midlands for 21 years now and have long had our sights set on Coventry as the next great place to share our mix of lifestyle, business, arts, fashion and feel good news stories with.
We’ve been working closely with the team at Coventry BID over the past few years and, in turn, with Coventry City Council, the team at 2021 UK City of Culture as well as many of the city’s arts and heritage organisations, so we know that there is so much more to Coventry than people give it credit for.
We hope that you enjoy this, the inaugural edition of DLUXE Coventry. We’d love to hear from you with your ideas and feedback and please help us by sharing this e-magazine with your friends and family. It’s free to sign up, so what’s not to love! SIGN UP HERE.
Get in touch with your stories at [email protected] we can’t wait to hear from you. In the meantime, happy reading!
Kevin and the Dluxe Coventry Team
OBLIGATORY BAD JOKE
How many clickbait journalists does it take to change a lightbulb?
The answer will shock you…
CITY STREETS RESTORED TO FORMER GLORY THANKS TO GRANT
Two historic streets in Coventry city centre have been transformed over the last few months as part of an ambitious £2 million project ahead of the festive season, led by the Historic Coventry Trust (HCT). The Burges and Hales Street have had the historic fronts of 16 buildings and shops restored thanks to government funding through Historic England, support from Coventry City Council and match-funding from the owners. Historic Coventry Trust has painstakingly repaired the buildings, restored lost historic features such as sash windows and fitted new traditional shopfronts giving these two streets a real wow factor. Read more about the renovations and see the stunning results here.
NEW HOTEL COMPLETED IN ICONIC TELEGRAPH BUILDING
Coventry city centre’s new Telegraph Hotel has been completed ready for 2021 following two years of construction and £15m of investment. The former Coventry Telegraph headquarters has been transformed into a luxury hotel that celebrates the cool Mid-Century style of the building and features 88 individually designed air-conditioned bedrooms including loft style penthouse suites on two levels. Two panelled Board rooms are available for private dining and meetings and there’s a library of post war design and newspaper heritage- be the first to see inside here.
COVENTRY BID TEAM CELEBRATES PARTNERSHIP THAT WAS ‘TOO GOOD TO REFUSE’
The Coventry BID team is celebrating a new partnership with Too Good To Go – a social impact company and app fighting food waste in Coventry by connecting stores that have surplus food or drink with local consumers- good eh? Find out more about this incredible scheme here.
LINE UP FOR CITY OF CULTURE PROGRAMMING REVEALED
Coventry City of Culture Trust have announced the first events that will form part of the 365-day programme of UK City of Culture 2021, which kicks off in May 2021 and it’s set to be an outstanding celebration of all things Coventry! Highlights of the festival include the city hosting the prestigious Turner Prize, the premiering of several, major new theatre productions and art installations as well as a festival of intimate gigs curated by The Specials’ Terry Hall. Read all about it here.
NOVEL TAKES READERS TO RUGBY THE DAY AFTER THE COVENTRY BLITZ
A Rugby based author, Steve Gay, has launched his evocative debut novel on the 80th anniversary of the Coventry Blitz that is inspired by long-told tales from his own family history. The Birds That Do Not Sing is set on the day after the World War II city bombings campaign, through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy from a pacifist family in neighbouring Rugby – we talk to author Steve, here.
CAN’T AFFORD THE BIG CHRISTMAS GIFT? DON’T PANIC, CHRISTMAS ISN’T CANCELLED
As families struggle financially as a result of furlough and redundancies, many will be tightening the purse strings this Christmas, while fighting the guilt of letting their little ones down. Dr. Amanda Gummer, Founder of the Good Toy Guide and research psychologist offers her advice on managing children’s expectations when you’re on a tight budget without dampening any seasonal sparkle- read it here.
FOOD AND RETAIL TRAIL MAPS RELEASED
For those of us who’ve not visited the city for a while, or even if it’s your first time, the city of Coventry is home to some of the most exciting eateries, beautiful bars and inspiration retailers you’ll find. Over lockdown, Coventry BID has created some easy to use maps that will guide us to some of the city’s very best outlets, making it even easier to support your favourites – or find new ones!
Available online, via QR code or in traditional map format, you can find their Food On The Go and Retail Maps HERE.
HAVE A SNIFFY CHRISTMAS! OUR PICK OF THE BEST FESTIVE SCENTED CANDLES
With us all spending more time at home this year and in the spirit of ‘hygge’, the DLUXE team cast their nets to find the best scented candles to adorn your homes this Winter- see our choice and find our surprise winner here.
MAGICAL ICE RINK TO GO AHEAD IN CATHEDRAL
Coventry Glides – a magical ice rink in the ruins of Coventry Cathedral has been planned with Covid safety measures in mind, including timed slots for skaters, reduced skater capacity, mandatory facemasks for all skaters – except for those who are exempt – and cleaning in between skating sessions.
Up until the possible revision of the Tier system on 16 December, the event will now only admit audiences from Coventry, Warwickshire, and Solihull. People from outside of these areas who have already booked tickets for dates before 16 December will be contacted for a full refund. The Coventry City of Culture Trust will continue to review government restrictions throughout the duration of the event and will adjust these measures accordingly.
The ice-skating rink is being created in partnership with Coventry Business Improvement District (BID), Coventry Cathedral and with support from Coventry City Council and will now stay open until 10 January 2021 with tickets, priced from £5 and available to purchase from coventry2021.co.uk.
THE MOST CHRISMASSY FILMS EVER REVEALED
With so many of us are watching festive films to escape the realities of everyday at the moment, the experts at OnBuy.com created a Christmas film Index. They set a points-based system where each festive element in the movies, such as the number of Christmas trees and how many times Santa appears, would earn a point (from 1 to 3) based on how Christmassy they are. Using this points-based system, at the end of the study, OnBuy.com were able to crown the most Christmassy film of all time…
COVENTRY NAMED AS GLOBAL HOTSPOT BY NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
Coventry has topped the list of destinations in the Culture and History category of the Best of the World 2021 list published by National Geographic Traveller (UK). The list features 35 extraordinary places around the world within five categories that will “define future itineraries for travellers”. Find out what impressed the judges here.
SANTA COMES TO THE RESCUE AT BELGRADE
While the Belgrade’s annual panto is going online this year, if a trip to the theatre is part of your family’s annual festive traditions, you needn’t miss out this year thanks to a series of socially distanced shows and screenings taking place throughout the month including screenings of Jack and the Beanstalk Online and live performances of Santa’s Christmas Rescue, the latest in Imagine Theatre’s interactive Santa series aimed at kids aged 2-7. Find out all about the shows and how to get your tickets here.
OUTSTANDING ACTS OF KINDNESS RECOGNISED DURING PANDEMIC
In the summer of 2020 Coventry City of Culture Trust launched a search for 21 #OurCovHeroes. The Trust wanted to hear about all different kinds of acts of kindness and everyday heroism that people had been doing during the first lockdown, from key workers and massive community efforts, to individuals checking in on neighbours and volunteering to help their friends and family.
The Trust received over 100 nominations for the #OurCovHeroes campaign and was completely overwhelmed by the incredible stories of selflessness, community spirit and generosity that were submitted- find out how these stories will be celebrated here.
PHOTOGRAPHER IN FOCUS
Coventry’s unique history means it is a city of a thousand stories. Its landscape and architecture bear witness to the passing of time and affords it an eclectic skyline, if you take the time to pause and look up. We are in LOVE with the work of local photographer, Dylan Parrin, who captures the exceptional in the everyday. His recent work – in the fog of lockdown Coventry city – is breathtaking, as we’re sure you’ll agree. www.dylanparrin.photography
ALL THINGS CHRISTMAS IN COVENTRY
You’ve probably spent weeks counting down the days until it becomes socially acceptable to do all the Christmas and winter activities we all love so much. Putting up Christmas decorations, shopping for unique and unusual gifts, and generally getting in the Christmas spirit in every way imaginable, especially after such a challenging year. So why not make the most of your holiday season with our list of the best Christmas events Coventry has to offer? Click here to read more.
WORK BEGINS TO TRANSFORM HISTORIC CITY GATES
Swanswell and Cook Street Gates are the last remaining of the 12 gates in the city wall constructed in the 14th century. They have been largely unused for decades but now work has begun transforming the two building in time for the celebrations starting in Spring 2021. Find out what’s in store for them here.
INSPIRATIONAL QUOTE
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
– Billie Jean King
