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Home > Latest News > 2008 > 8 > 26 >

Kite stars pull the strings on board Brunel’s ss Great Britain

 

Invited guests who have flown in specially for this year's Bristol International Kite Festival are taking time out from their final preparations for the weekend to visit Brunel's ss Great Britain.

 

As part of the festival's hospitality programme a group of kite flyers from Japan, Tasmania and America will be looking round the ship and museum.

 

The high-flying contingent are taking part in the 22nd Bristol International Kite Festival which is taking place in Ashton Court this weekend (30th and 31st August).

 

The Festival programme, which runs from 11.00am to 5.00pm both days, features an action-packed two days of colourful flying displays, spectacular kite-fighting battles, synchronized routines flown to music the thrills and spills of kite powered buggy racing and land boarding.

 

On board Brunel's ss Great Britain will be Robert Brassington from Tasmania whose impressive large cellular kites are inspired by Gothic Cathedrals; celebrated Japanese Kite Master, Masaaki Modegi, and one of the worlds's top ranked quad-line display teams iQuad, from America.

 

Also from the UK will be Kelvin Woods who has created his own unique tribute to the stars by hand-stitching photographic style images of stars, including Debbie Harry, Johnny Cash and Mohammed Ali, onto large kites.

 

Avril Baker, festival organiser, says:" We have a number of our specially invited guests in Bristol before the weekend. We couldn't possibly invite people from all over the world and not take up the offer to see Bristol's most famous attraction. Brunel was a brilliant innovator and engineer and I would love to have seen what sort of kite he might have designed if he had the materials and know-how that we have today."

 

Director of the ss Great Britain Trust, Matthew Tanner, comments: "It is wonderful to welcome the stars of the kiting world on board ship, with their amazing creations. Major events such as Bristol International Kite Festival are fabulous and really help draw weekend visitors to the city and to attractions such as Brunel's ss Great Britain."

 

He adds: "We are especially looking forward to showing the kite-flying stars of America and Tasmania, the ss Great Britain's strong American and Australian connections. Built to take passengers in luxury from England to New York, she went on to take some 15,000 emigrants to Australia."

 

Regretfully no kite flying will take place on board ship, because of the danger of strings being caught up in the rigging!