The racecourse was one of 12 locations in the UK chosen as the beacon of the South for its accessibility and flexibility. The event took place in the Grandstand which offers over 1000sq.m of pillar free floor space, ideal for the array of practical activities taking place.
Each of the three floors represented a different zone with Explore on the ground floor, Discover on the first floor and Reflect on the second floor. Activities included workshops teaching people how to use thermal imaging cameras, inflatable planetariums, talks from astronomy experts and an interactive web chat with a NASA astronaut. The outside areas will be used to put everything learnt into practice with a clear view of the night's sky.
Louisa Hannan, learning project manager - BBC South explained: "We chose the Racecourse Newbury as we wanted one location for the whole of the south, so geographically Newbury is very central and easy to get to. Racecourses are not traditionally where people might expect to find a stargazing event which demonstrates that you can get into astronomy anywhere.
"The flexible space of the Grandstand was ideal for the indoor event elements and the surrounding land was perfect for putting it all into practice."
Amanda Ellis, conference and events business development manager adds, "This event shows the variety of exactly what can take place at the racecourse on a non race day, from quirky experiential events and night time explorations through to traditional conferences, meetings and award ceremonies. The Grandstand has the largest internal event space on the M4 corridor and is ideal for full scale productions with a five metre ceiling height, three phase power and access for cars and vans into the building."
(Jim Evans)
