In the end the Castleacre Insurance CCI2* class was won by Swede, Sofia Sjoborg, who at just 18 years of age put in an astonishing performance with her horse ‘DHI Mighty Dwight’ winning the dressage, showjumping and cross country. Zara and her horse were placed 6th, after a few faults in the show jumping round but fellow Brit, Samuel Ecroyd, came second on ‘Tallaher Sunrise’ while another Brit, Tom Crisp, competing with two different horses was placed 3rd and 5th.

The two outstanding international teams at Camphire this year were undoubtedly the Irish and Australians who dominated most of the other key events.

Australian Chris ‘Burto’ dazzled in the Castleacre Insurance CCI 2* at Camphire International Horse Trials against notable riders competing this year, coming both first and second, as the event grows from strength to strength .

Cobbold and Judd Fine Art are celebrating their 10th Anniversary this year with an Exhibition at Orwell Park School in Suffolk on the 25 and 26 April.  Richard Cobbold and Emma Judd  have been champions of Contemporary British Art since they established in 2005, with particular emphasis on the work of Modern British artists working in East Anglia, including Maggi Hambling, Jason Gathorne-Hardy and Patrick George.

Castleacre is delighted to support their Anniversary Exhibition this year and Castleacre Director, Guy Everington says,  ‘It is a privilege to be involved in this 10 year celebration. Richard and Emma have been great exponents of contemporary East Anglian artists. They have helped continue this region’s inspirational influence which began with artists like John Constable and John Sell Cotman and continued right through to the twentieth century with key British painters such as Edward Seago, Mary Fedden and Alfred Munnings.  Cobbold and Judd have put together an exciting exhibition for Orwell Park which will include pictures and sculptures by some of our most pre-eminent artists including Maggi Hambling, Maryanne Nicholls and Jill Bathorpe.’

Pictured above Two Pomegranates, Violet and Black by Patrice Lombardi,  an American born artist who divides her time between the USA and England and has established her own gallery at Wivenhoe in Essex.

To find out more about the April exhibition visit Cobbold and Judd

Dr Roger Draycott, Senior Scientist for the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust commented ‘Simon has given a lot of thought and consideration to the year round
habitat requirements of the grey partridge and it was also clear that lots of other birds and wildlife are benefiting from this careful management.’

The GWCT  has set up a range of projects around the country, encouraging landowners to re-introduce the Grey partridge in preference to the now commonly seen French partridge. We will be supporting this year’s East Anglian award, which will take place on 14 September at the Benington Lordship in Hertfordshire, with the kind permission of Andrew and Simon Bott – last year’s winners of the East Anglian Castleacre Grey Partridge trophy.

To find out more about the Grey partridge conservation programme visit www.gwct.org.uk.

The most recent cartoonist to take up this daunting challenge was the under 30 cartoonist of the year 2010 – Alex Driver.  Alex is by day an industrial designer and engineer and is currently working as a research associate with Cambridge University. Luckily for us he devotes his spare time to devising brilliantly astute cartoons that have been employed to great effect in ‘The Cambridge Student’ magazine.  

Alex’s response to our commission in the spring was a little disconcerting because he came up with not one but several first class ideas.  In the end we plumped for this pertinent prod at insurance ‘small print’, an area we are all too familiar with.

http://alexdriver.blogspot.com

For further information about the talented Mr Hood visit www.jodhood.com