PLUTO WINS THE BATTLE OF THE PLANETS !!

A jubilant Julie Wilcock found the winning ticket in her bar of Galaxy chocolate at the final draw of the Battle of the Planets competition, organised by Q103 with Green Witch Telescopes.   She wins a holiday of a lifetime at the Arizona Sky Village in America.  Nine finalists, each representing a planet in the solar system, were gathered together outside the radio station in Histon last Friday (18^th June 2004) and the excitement mounted as the contestants tore open their Galaxy wrappers.  Julie, a 22 yr old recruitment consultant from Cambridge, who is on crutches following a bone-transplant operation, was over the moon about her win and expects to be fully recovered by the time she travels to Arizona.

The prize for which Q103 listeners have been competing over the last few weeks was donated by Neil Parker and Lesley Vertue of Green Witch, telescope specialists based at Dry Drayton.  Lesley, who manages the ASV Project, says she was delighted with the interest shown by those registering for the competition by text or online and hopes that many others will visit her website at www.arizonaskyvillage.co.uk and contact her.

The sky village is a new community being developed in the desert at the foot of the Chiricahua mountains in Arizona.  Not only are the skies unbelievably clear and dark for astronomy but Portal is listed worldwide as a top bird watching site.  Apart from the spectacular scenery there is plenty to see and do in the area around the village to savour the Arizona Experience.  It is truly a paradise for astronomers, nature lovers and horse riders.

This is a new venture for Green Witch which has been promoting astronomy and selling telescopes since 1998.  The company was launched when the Royal Greenwich Observatory was closed down and Neil and Lesley were made redundant.  They first heard about the Arizona Sky Village when attending the Whirlpool Star Party in 2002 and immediately identified a potential opportunity to offer their customers the one thing that eludes most UK astronomers – clear, dark skies!  After a couple of visits to Arizona they were convinced that this was a worthwhile investment and are now developing some of the plots of land they have reserved.  Self-catering accommodation is in luxuriously appointed single-storey houses, each on its own four-acre plot, and is now available for rent.  Contact Green Witch (01954 211288) for details.

Press Release by Lesley Vertue
21st June 2004