BRIT TOWERS HERALD

  Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland and seat of the Scottish government. It is home to the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland and the Scottish National Gallery. It is also known as Auld Reekie, from the poems of Allan Ramsay. The city dates back to the Mesolithic period. The royal burgh was founded in the 12th Century on land belonging to the Crown. In 1603 King James VI of Scotland succeeded the throne of England, uniting the crowns. It is famed for the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Edinburgh Military Tattoo, Edinburgh Arts Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival. In sporting terms, Edinburgh has three main football teams, Hearts, Hibernian and also semi-professional Edinburgh City. The national rugby team play at Murrayfield, as do its Edinburgh Rugby team. The Scottish cricket team play their games in Edinburgh and it is home to the Murrayfield Racers ice hockey team. Caledonia Pride are the only women's professional basketball team in Scotlan...

  Croydon. Formely a large town (who has requested city status before) in Surrey and now a London Borough. The name derives from "crocus" and "denu" meaning valley. A market was established in the 13th century which is believed to have started the urban roots of Croydon. There is evidence of Roman settlements in the area and in the late Saxon period swathes of property and estate in Croydon was owned by the Archbishop of Canterbury. It used to be the location for London's main airport, closing in 1959. It was heavily bombed in World War Two, but in modern times it has become a hub for shopping centres, bars and restaurants. Croydon was the birthplace of The Commish, the place where his passion for NFL grew and he has many happy memories growing up in the area. In sporting terms, Crystal Palace F.C. are the only professional club in the area and though playing in an SE postcode, this area actually comes under the London Borough of Croydon.  Croydon F.C. were a ma...

  South Yorkshire. It is the southern most county in the Yorkshire and Humber region and consists of four metropolitan boroughs, Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Sheffield. The county lies on the east side of the Pennines with Sheffield its largest settlement. The county itself was not created until 1974.  There are prehistoric remains dating back to 8000 BC and rock art has been discovered in caves. The region itself was a frontier during the Roman period. The main industries in the area were steel and mining. The towns of Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham all boast Football League teams, but it is the two teams from Sheffield which have seen the most success over the years, United and Wednesday. Of course Yorkshire is famed for its cricket with Yorkshire C.C.C. producing many England legends over the years. The Sheffield Steelers are members of the Elite Ice Hockey League and have won nine regular season titles. Rugby League is prevalent in the area. The South Yorkshire Ja...

  Haverhill is a market town in Suffolk, bordering Essex and Cambridgeshire. The Stour Brook runs through the town and joins up with the River Stour. The town dates back to Anglo-Saxon times and the market within the town is recorded in the Doomsday Book. There is a Tudor House which was allegedly given to Anne of Cleves as part of her divorce from Henry VIII but most of the original buildings in Haverhill were destroyed by a great fire in 1667. Haverhill made a claim in 2004 for the first ever laser-lit sculpture on a roundabout, called the Spirit of Enterprise. In sporting terms the town has two non-league football clubs, Haverhill Rovers and Haverhill Borough, who both play in the Eastern Counties Football League. There is a thriving tennis club affiliated with the Lawn Tennis Association and is home to a golf course, cricket and rugby club. It also home to Suffolk's only baseball team, the Haverhill Blackjacks who compete in the British Baseball Federation Single-A South league...

  Cardiff is the capital city of Wales, known as the City and County of Cardiff. It is the location for the Senedd (Welsh Parliament). Archaeological evidence from various sites show that the area was used as a settlement at around 6000 BC. Four Iron Ages forts and enclosures have been identified within the boundaries of Cardiff. Prior to the Roman conquest, Cardiff was part of the territory of Silures, a Celtic British tribe in the Iron Age. A fort was established by the Romans near the River Taff in AD 75. It was a series of fortifications in the area which acted as border defences. William The Conqueror began work on the abandoned Roman fort during the Norman occupation and Cardiff Castle has been at the heart of the city ever since. Cardiff is a massive sporting centre. It was awarded the title of European City of Sport in 2009. Cardiff Arms Park is famous for Rugby Union, the scene of the Welsh Grand Slams in the 1970's, six 5 Nations titles and the venue for the 1991 Rugby Wo...

  Redditch is a town in Worcestershire, south of Birmingham. It was during the 19th century it became the international centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry. At one point 90% of the worlds needles were manufactured in Redditch. The name of the town allegedly derives from the term 'Red-Ditch', in reference to the red clay of the nearby River Arrow. Aside from the needle and fishing tackle industry, Redditch was a prominent industry location for motorcycles and springs. Halfords and GKN both have their headquarters in the town. There are several historical sites such as the National Needle Museum, Moons Moat and the ruins of Bordesley Abbey, a 12th century Cistercian abbey. Notable people born in Redditch were actor Charles Dance and former One Direction member Harry Styles. The Commish would also like it mentioned (through his love of motorsport) that British rally champion Russell Brookes was also born in Redditch. Redditch is twinned with Auxerre in France and Mtw...

  Southend, or Southend-on-Sea to give the town its correct title, is a borough in Essex. It lies on the north of the Thames estuary and is home to the longest leisure pier in the world. It became home to one of the UK's first electronic telephone exchanges and was home to an annual seafront air show until 2012. It was a renowned fishing location but after the visit of Princess Caroline of Brunswick, Southend grew into a seaside resort. It also home to financial services and HM Revenue & Customs are a big employer in the area. London Southend Airport is a converted military airfield. The town features in the novel Emma by Jane Austen and appears in The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, in a distorted version and was used as a promo for David Hasselhoff's series, Hoff The Record. In sporting terms the only professional football club in the area are Southend United, it does have another club called Southend Manor who play in the Essex Senior League. It is home for two rug...

  Haydock is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of St. Helens. It is, approximately, located halfway between Liverpool and Manchester. It was a place rich in coal and mining, with upto 13 collieries working at any one time. Despite being a 'village', in the 1900's Haydock in fact had three railway stations. The Haydock Brass Band was formed in 1861 and is still going, but it is best known for its racecourse. Haydock Park Racecourse opend in 1899, a left-handed track of 1 mile and 5 furlongs which hosts both Flat and National Hunt Racing.  It hosts many notable races including the Grand National Trial, the Betfair Chase, the Champion Hurdle Trial and the Group 1 Haydock Spring Cup. It was awarded Racecourse of the Year in 1998 and 2000. The Haydock Steelers are an expansion team for 2021. They will compete in the BFA North Division, replacing South Manchester Rockets who left the league at the end of the 2020 season. They have the 6th overall draft pick and due ...

  Coatbridge is a town in North Lanarkshire, just east of Glasgow. Early settlements can be traced back to the Stone Age, but the founding of the town occurred in the 12th century. Roman coins have been unearthed in the area and there are remnants of an old Roman road on the fringes of the town. The area was renowned for coal in the 19th century and the patent for the automated telephone switchboard was installed in Coatbridge in 1886, the first in the world. In sporting terms the local football team is Albion Rovers F.C. who play in Scottish League Two. It is home to a local cricket club, Coatbridge C.C., who were Scottish champions in 1986 and 1988. The Coatbridge Indoor Bowls Club hosted the World Indoor Bowls Championship from 1979 until 1987 and the town was home to Bert Gilroy, Scotland's longest reigning boxing champion. Keeping with the boxing link it is also home to WBO super-featherweight, lighweight and light-welterweight world champion Ricky Burns. Adding to the list of...

  The Isle of Wight is an island in the English Channel, situated off the coast of Hampshire, separated by the Solent. It is designated a UNESCO Biosphere reserve. Ancient records note the Romans referred to the island as Vectis and the Greeks to it as Iktis. There are remnants and artefacts which date back to Palaeolithic, Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. The Isle of Wight suffered heavily from Vikings raids. During World War II, when the island was heavily bombed, there were observation stations and transmitters due to its close proximity to France. It was the starting point of Operation Pluto, the pipelines to feed fuel to Europe after the Normandy landings. In sporting terms, the Isle of Wight is well known for its cycling and waters sports. Cowes Week is a famous regatta hosting several races and is the longest running regatta in the world. There are several non-league football clubs, the Isle of Wight Marathon and Golf. The island competes in the bi-annual Island Games. The ...

  Solihull is a large town in the West Midlands, historically part of Warwickshire but is now a Metropolitan borough. Noted for its historic architecture there are surviving examples of original timber framed Tudor buildings. Until the 20th century, Solihull remained a market town. It was bypassed by the industrial revolution but grew after housing developments, the building of the Rover car plant and expansion of Birmingham airpot. A T1 Tornado touched down in the area in 1981, causing damage to the town centre. In sporting terms, the Spartans are hoping to become the best sporting franchise in the district. The town is home to both Solihull Moors and and Solihull Borough who play in non-league. It is also home to Solihull Barons, the ice hockey team of the town and the Mohawks, an ice racing club. The Spartans are a re-brand for 2021. The GM took over at Wolverhampton Stages last season and nursed the team through the first season. They finished on a 3-10 record in the BFC West a...