Gromit Unleashed 2 in world-first: interactive sculptures unveiled for the first time ever

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Gromit Unleashed 2 in world-first: interactive sculptures unveiled for the first time ever Monday 11 TH June: Wallace & Gromit s Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children s Hospital charity, today unveiled

1 Gromit Unleashed 2 in world-first: interactive sculptures unveiled for the first time ever Monday 11 TH June: Wallace & Gromit s Grand Appeal, the Bristol Children s Hospital charity, today unveiled the groundbreaking interactive sculptures featuring in its upcoming charity sculpture trail, Gromit Unleashed 2. In a first for sculpture trails around the world, three of Bristol s world-leaders in engineering Renishaw, Rolls-Royce and the University of Bristol have harnessed pioneering technology to create trailblazing, interactive sculptures which showcase Bristol s diverse creative and tech industries. The sculptures were unveiled at the iconic Brabazon Hangar at Bristol s Filton Airfield. Gromitronic Renishaw Combining multiple technologies including mechanical engineering, electronics, software and metal 3D printing, Gromitronic has been designed and built by a young team of Renishaw engineers to bring fun, interactivity and education to the trail. From the tip of its plasma ball nose to its waggling 3D printed tail, Gromitronic is packed full of features that will entertain the young and young-at-heart, whilst aiming to stimulate discussion about the engineering technologies that lie behind its creation. Look closely at the iconic collar and you may also recognise a few Bristol landmarks all 3D printed in miniature. Chris Pockett, Head of Communications at Renishaw: We employ around 2,800 people in the catchment area for the Hospital, so we very quickly accepted the invitation to become a Trailblazer and help raise funds for The Grand Appeal. Our young team, which includes apprentices and graduates and is mentored by a senior engineer, set out to create a special Gromit that would give visitors a fun, interactive experience and support Renishaw s STEM education programmes for younger children. We are truly proud and excited to be part of this incredible event. Gromjet Rolls-Royce Recognising the importance of engineering and aviation in Bristol s past, present and future is Gromjet, the high-flying Gromit brought to life by industrial technology company Rolls-Royce. Using the same technology reserved for its Pegasus engine on the Harrier and the LiftSystem TM on the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, the engineering team behind Gromit also equipped him with hybrid-electric engines which take him to new heights literally! Rising up to one metre, Gromjet is the result of advanced processes and technologies such as 3D scanning and 3D printing. Paul Craig, Defence Services President at Rolls-Royce: When the opportunity to be a Trailblazer for Gromit Unleashed 2 was offered to us, we jumped at the chance to be involved - developing our own, very special design. To continue to support The Grand Appeal and be part of this now world-famous arts trail is a unique opportunity for us to showcase our capabilities as a leading industrial technology company and more importantly, to raise money for the world-class hospital we have on our doorstep. A Grand Gromplication University of Bristol Named after a watchmaker s most complex design, A Grand Gromplication was designed and produced by three second-year engineering students Christine Braganza, Ella Allan and Octavia Clark after their design won a competition by the Faculty of Engineering. Inspired by steampunk culture and its connection with gears and cogs, A Grand Gromplication is a play on the term a grand complication, used by watchmakers to describe the most intricate and highly complex watch designs. The term is also a nod to the historic Bristol time, which saw Bristol 10 minutes

2 ahead of London before the introduction of Greenwich Mean Time in With help from the Faculty s technicians, the students spent over 350 hours installing over 700 cogs on Gromit, using a range of engineering techniques such as Computer Aided Design, 3D Printing, gear ratios and soldering to truly make trail fans tick this summer. Colin Dalton, Undergraduate Education Director in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Bristol: Creating such a special and innovative Gromit with the Grand Appeal has been a brilliant opportunity for our students, allowing them to develop their skills in a real-world context. We re really excited to be part of what promises to be a truly innovative trail, working alongside partners in the city to help raise vital funds for the Children s Hospital. Nicola Masters, Director of The Grand Appeal: Watching Gromitronic, Gromjet and A Grand Gromplication slowly come to life over the last six months has been the most exciting wait of our lives! We are absolutely delighted with the incredible results and are so grateful to every single person involved for helping us take Gromit Unleashed 2 into totally new territory. To quote a certain inventor, We've tested this on Gromit - haven't we lad? As well as commissioning the unique Trailblazer sculptures, The Grand Appeal has also partnered with global payments technology company Creditcall, the final Trailblazer, to provide contactless payment technology and help drive fundraising for Bristol Children s Hospital during the trail. This year s trail will continue to take fans to unprecedented places, so watch this space, it s going to be a cracking summer. Notes to editors: -ends- About Gromit Unleashed 2: Led by Bristol Children s Hospital Charity The Grand Appeal, Gromit Unleashed 2 will see Nick Park's Academy Award -winning character Gromit return to Bristol in 2018 for his second starring role in the award-winning charity's sculpture trails. But this time he's not alone; the loveable pooch will be joined by his pal Wallace and arch nemesis Feathers McGraw! Gromit Unleashed 2, in partnership with Aardman, is bringing together the best and brightest of Bristol s diverse creative and tech industries. With the help of its pioneering Trailblazers Creditcall, Renishaw, Rolls-Royce and the University of Bristol, Gromit Unleashed 2 will showcase both Bristol s rich engineering heritage and the city s reputation as an internationally renowned creative and technological hub. The Grand Appeal supports Bristol Children s Hospital by funding pioneering, life-saving equipment and research, including ventilators, a cardiac hybrid theatre and an inter-operative MRI scanner, so that patients have access to the best possible healthcare and life-saving equipment. We provide free accommodation to families of critically ill patients from the Neonatal and Paediatric Intensive Care Units in our Cots for Tots House and Paul s House, as well as providing a free Family Support service to parents and siblings. We ensure the hospital is a vibrant and child friendly place to help distract young patients through our music therapy, art and play programmes and much more. Bristol Children s Hospital covers the largest catchment area of any children s hospital in England, treating more than 100,000 children each year, and serves as the paediatric intensive care centre for the whole South West region. The hospital is an international, national and regional specialist centre of excellence for a range of services including neurosurgery, burns, epilepsy, cardiac, leukaemia and bone marrow transplants.

3 For more information, visit About Renishaw: Renishaw is one of the world's leading engineering and scientific technology companies, with expertise in precision measurement and healthcare. The company supplies products and services used in applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. It is also a world leader in the field of additive manufacturing (also referred to as metal 3D printing), where it is the only UK business that designs and makes industrial machines which print' parts from metal powder. The Renishaw Group currently has more than 70 offices in 35 countries, with over 4,000 employees worldwide. Around 2,800 people are employed within the UK where the company carries out the majority of its research and development and its manufacturing. About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc Rolls-Royce pioneers cutting-edge technologies that deliver the cleanest, safest and most competitive solutions to meet our planet s vital power needs. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces, 4,000 marine customers including 70 navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers. Annual underlying revenue was 15 billion in 2017, around half of which came from the provision of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at 78.5 billion at the end of December In 2017, Rolls-Royce invested 1.4 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 31 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research. Rolls-Royce employs 50,000 people in 50 countries. More than 18,200 of these are engineers. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills. In 2017 we recruited 313 graduates and 339 apprentices through our worldwide training programmes. About University of Bristol: The University of Bristol is ranked within the top 10 universities in the UK (QS World University Rankings 2019); it is also ranked among the top five institutions in the UK for its research, according to new analysis of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014; and is the 4th most targeted university by top UK employers. The University was founded in 1876 and was granted its Royal Charter in It was the first university in England to admit women on the same basis as men. The University is a major force in the economic, social and cultural life of Bristol and the region, but is also a significant player on the world stage. It has over 16,000 undergraduates and nearly 6,000 postgraduate students from more than 100 countries, and its research links span the globe. About Creditcall: Creditcall, an omni-channel Payment Gateway and EMV Kernel provider, develops the most trusted and secure payment software that reliably drives transactions across multiple channels and verticals. Whether mobile, online, in-store, or self-service within retail, hospitality, parking, vending, transportation, or charities, Creditcall s software is relied on and used by software developers worldwide for its ease of integration.

4 Based in the heart of Bristol and with offices in New York, Creditcall started as a simple telecommunications service back in 1996, enabling hotel customers to bill telephone calls to their credit or debit card. This service coined the "Creditcall" name. For more details, please visit About Aardman: Aardman, based in Bristol (UK) co-founded and run by Peter Lord and David Sproxton, is a world leader in animation. It produces feature films, series, advertising and digital entertainment for both the domestic and international market. Their multi-award winning productions are novel, entertaining, brilliantly characterised and full of charm that reflects the unique talent, energy and personal commitment of the very special people who make up the Aardman team. The studio's work is often imitated and yet the company continues to lead the field producing a rare brand of visually stunning and amusing independent and commercial productions. About The Brabazon Hangar The Brabazon Hangar is colossal with an internal height of up to 23 metres and provides a strong legacy to a variety of impressive feats of aeronautical engineering. This industrial building housed the construction of the Bristol Type 167 passenger airliner Brabazon Mark I conceptualised as the largest civil airliner in the world at the time and built to provide a luxury service between New York and London. It was also home to Concorde. The Hangars provide an insight into an exciting piece of British Aviation history and a fitting backdrop for the reveal of the innovative Gromit sculptures, which pays homage to the engineering heritage of Bristol and the neighbouring Airfield itself. YTL acquired the Brabazon Hangars and the neighbouring Airfield in 2015 and has taken care to be mindful of the sites aviation history within its innovative plans for the development. The new development is to be known as Brabazon and will see the creation of the South West s first design-led master-planned community. This will consist of a new mixed-use city district of homes together with employment space, a new town centre, public park, schools, railway station and other major infrastructure works. This is not the first involvement that YTL has had with Wallace & Gromit's Grand Appeal. YTL has sponsored a Gromit Unleashed 2 sculpture at the nearby Southmead Greenway Centre. YTL is proud to be partnering with the surrounding community in respect of its sponsorship and the provision of the Brabazon Hangars as a location for the reveal of the interactive Gromit sculptures further strengthens this commitment. Gromit Unleashed 2 Sponsors - Aardman - Airbus - AJ Homes - Amalgam - Arthur David, Food with Service Ltd - Ashfords LLP - Ashton Gate Stadium - Avon Valley Adventure & Wildlife Park - Barcan+Kirby LLP

5 - BID Clifton Village - Bluefin Professions - Bristol City Centre BID - Bristol Energy - Bristol Marriott City Centre - Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel - Bristol Post - Bristol Water - Briz-Graphics - Burges Salmon - Cabot Circus - CAMB Machine Knives International Ltd - Canada Life Group Insurance - Cass Art - Chipping Sodbury Chamber of Commerce - Clifton Observatory - Destination Bristol - Downend & Bromley Heath Parish Council - Dunkley's Chartered Accountants - Etex Building Performance Ltd - Evans and Partners - EY - First Bus - Gardiner Haskins - Grand Pier - Grant Thornton UK LLP - Hargreaves Lansdown - House of Fraser - Immediate Media Co - Jeremy Gumbley - John James Bristol Foundation - LDC - Natracare - Osborne Clarke - Puxton Park - Redrock Consulting Ltd - Showcase Cinema de Lux - SLX - Stanfords - The Bottle Yard Studios - The Galleries Shopping Centre - The Mall at Cribbs Causeway - The Yogscast - Thornbury Chamber of Commerce - UWE Bristol - VWV - Wapping Wharf - We The Curious - Willow Brook Centre

6 - Womble Bond Dickinson - Yankee Candle - YTL Developments Gromit Unleashed 2 Locations - Aardman, Gas Ferry Road - Aerospace Bristol - Arnos Vale - Ashton Court - Ashton Gate Stadium - Avon Valley Adventure and Wildlife Park, Keynsham - Badminton Road, Downend - Blaise Castle - Boston Tea Party, Gloucester Road - Bristol Energy Hub, Harbourside - Bristol Marriott City Centre Hotel - Bristol Children's Hospital - Bristol Marriott Royal Hotel - Bristol Museum and Art Gallery - Cabot Circus - Cascade Steps - Cenotaph, Colston Avenue - Chew Valley Lake - Cinema de Lux, Cabot Circus - Clifton Observatory - Clifton Suspension Bridge - College Green - Dunkley s, Bradley Stoke - Flaxpits Lane, Winterbourne - Gardiner Haskins - Grand Pier, Weston-super-Mare - Greenway Centre, Southmead - Gromit Unleashed 2 Shop, The Mall at Cribbs Causeway - Hargreaves Lansdown, Anchor Road - Hartcliffe Community Farm - High Street, Chipping Sodbury - House of Fraser, Cabot Circus - Kings Chase Shopping Centre, Kingswood - Mall Gardens, Clifton Village - M Shed - Millennium Square - Museum Square, M Shed - Narrow Quay - North Street - Park Street - Puxton Park, Hewish - Quakers Friars - Queen Square

7 - Royal Fort Gardens - Royal West of England Academy - Sion Hill - ss Great Britain - St Mark's Road, Easton - St Mary Centre, Thornbury - St Mary Redcliffe - Stanfords, Corn Street - Temple Meads Station - Temple Quay - The Downs - The Galleries - The Horsefair - The Mall at Cribbs Causeway - The Podium, Broadmead - The Victoria Rooms - UWE Bristol, Bower Ashton - Wapping Wharf - Willow Brook Centre, Bradley Stoke - Wills Memorial Building

CABOT CIRCUS BRISTOL

CABOT CIRCUS BRISTOL WELCOME TO BRISTOL The best city to live in the UK. Bristol International Balloon Fiesta, Clifton Suspension Bridge Hotwells houses The Sunday Times, 2014 Quakers Friars, Cabot Circus