London2012UIG.com - Newsletter #2

Hi, and welcome the second London 2012 UIG newsletter - particularly if you're a new reader. We hope you enjoy our offerings.

Now I know this edition comes a few weeks after the previous newsletter. It's been a busy time for us - partly on a personal level (Christmas and New Year with the family) but also because we've focused a fair amount of time in getting more pages added to the site (there's now more than 70 on there).

So be sure to keep coming back as we add more and more content.

So, what's in store in this edition?

As usual, we've broken things down into three sections...

** New on the UIG - a run-down on what we've added to the site
** News For You, a brief look at what's happened since we last wrote
** Coming Up - What's next for your London 2012 UIG


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New on the site
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What's new on the site? Truck-loads!

There's a whole list of new pages full of useful information. Here are some of the highlights:

** 10 Top Restaurants (featuring A-List hang-out The Ivy)

Click here to read more


** London FAQs - the list is growing! If you've got your own question about visiting London, this is the place to ask it:

london2012usefulinformationguide.com/home/faqs

** Inside Scoop - We've added a bunch of pages within this section...The list of 20 Things Not to Miss has started to grow, as has our selection of Things to do in London. There's now also a page on Pub Culture & Etiquette and the first in a series about London Neighborhoods.

Click here for the Inside Scoop section page


Finally, we shouldn't forget that we've added these two things...

** The beginnings of the London 2012 UIG Store, which you can see here

(Look out for the very English product on there - you'll either love it or hate it!)

** And we've added a search box which you can find in the top-right corner of every page



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News For You
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We've recently heard some rumours...rather nice rumours, too - especially if you're a music fan...

It involves some of the biggest, most legendary names in British rock music history. So what is it? Well, we've read in several places that ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, blues-rock legends Led Zeppelin and the mighty Rolling Stones are in talks to perform live in Hyde Park as part of the cultural celebrations for the Olympics.

Not sure how true all this is but we'll certainly bring you more if/when we have it.

As for the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations, it's been announced by the British Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson, that the UK will enjoy a special four-day weekend in honor of what he called a "truly historic occasion" (so Britian will be in 'holiday mood' as much as you'll be).

To mark the Queen's 60-year reign, her official birthday on Monday, June 4, will be declared a one-off Bank Holiday, while the traditional late spring Bank Holiday will be moved back a week to Tuesday, June 5, to provide a four-day break. It's to form part of "a series of fitting events" which will take place in the first week of June 2012.

Lord Mandelson also announced recently that the London Borough of Greenwich - which is to host various events during the London Olympics - will be given the status of Royal Borough.

The new status will be given in 2012, "bestowed in recognition of the historically close links forged between Greenwich and the Royal Family, from the middle ages to the present day, and the borough's global significance as the home of the Prime Meridian, Greenwich Mean Time and a Unesco world heritage site," said Lord Mandelson.

He described the Jubilee as "a testament to the hard work and dedication" of the Queen, who would follow Queen Victoria as only the second monarch to celebrate a Diamond Jubilee.

The Queen's Diamond Jubilee is not the only celebration going on in the UK in the summer of 2012...

We've learned that Britain is to celebrate, in Olympic year, the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of the country's most influential, prolific and successful authors, Charles Dickens - the man behind classics such as David Copperfield, Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist. More details to follow.



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What's next?
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Next up, we'll be adding our new logo, more pages to fill out the various sections...and perhaps even a video of myself and Pete - the team behind the UIG - just so you can put faces to our names.

We're also in the final stages of creating a brand-new ebook which will help make your trip to London an enjoyable and memorable experience.

We're going to be giving it away - free of charge - to new subscribers. But don't worry - you'll also be sent a copy...at absolutely no cost and with absolutely no hassle. Just keep an eye out for it in your email inbox!

That's all for this edition. But if you've got any burning questions or comments, please visit our Contact Us page and do let us know.

Here's the link:

london2012usefulinformationguide.com/home/contact-us

So, until next time...

Best wishes,

Paul & Pete
London2012UIG.com