10 things to know about NC 2017 Host City Southampton

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10 things to know about NC 2017 Host City Southampton

Posted By admin |24 Jul 2017
10 things to know about NC 2017 Host City Southampton
Our NC 2017 mascot Sebastian the Seagull has been taking the opportunity to learn more about his newly adopted home town of Southampton; the host city for this year's JCI UK National Convention. Here are his 10 things to know about Southampton:
  1. Southampton is the birth place of many a famous face including singer Craig David, Coldplay drummer Will Champion, comedian Benny Hill, naturalist Chris Packham and England rugby union player Mike Brown.
  1. The City’s name is often abbreviated to Soton and a resident of the City is called a Sotonian.
  1. The Southampton area is thought to have been inhabited since the stone age and was the site of a Roman fortress settlement known as Clausentum.
  1. Nicknames for Southampton include the 'Sea City' and the ‘Gateway to the World’ because of its long and rich maritime history as a port, for both cargo and passengers.
  1. On that theme, the city has also waved goodbye to many a ship, making their way to the 'New World'. Southampton was the point of departure for the Pilgrim Fathers aboard the Mayflower in 1620 and infamously the ill-fated RMS Titanic in 1912.
  1. Anyone who’s a fan of the fishfinger may be intrigued to know that Southampton was apparently one of two places where, before their nationwide launch in 1955, inventor Clarence Birdseye tested prototype products marketed as ‘cod sticks’!
  1. Southampton is the only city in the UK with a geothermal power station. The City Centre is located above a large hot water aquifer providing geothermal power to some of the city's buildings.
  1. Did you know that the city played an integral part to the story of the legendary Spitfire aircraft? The prototype Spitfire first flew from Southampton Airport in 1936 and production of the earliest models was based at the Supermarine factory in the Woolston area of the city.
  1. A lot of the city you can see today was underwater only a few centuries ago as large parts of the west of the city including the docks and the Grand Harbour Hotel (the venue for this year’s convention) were built on reclaimed land.
  1. And finally, Jane Austen and her family lived in Southampton for two years following her father’s death. She is buried in the cathedral in nearby Winchester.
Sebastian and the team are looking forward to welcoming delegate to Southampton in November, not to mention all the great speakers, events and activities that will be taking place. The early bird rate of £150 is only available until the end of August so do remember to book! For more information about the National Convention and to book please visit www.jciuk.org.uk/nc2017