Welcome to Leominster

Well, I guess that after 1400 years, it's not surprising that the sign is a little out of alignment.

A view of Corn Square in Leominster

Here's a view of the 3D models of Leominster as they appear in Google Earth.

Big Competition Revisited

Last December I wrote about the Google Model Your Town 2012 contest for 3D models in Google Earth and my intention to enter. Well, that project has taken up most of my time since then. A lot of new models of Leominster buildings had to be built and most of the older ones needed some repair or revision. I ended up with 135 models in the Leominster collection.

The other exciting development was the choice of the Westfield School for kids with learning difficulties as the nominated recipient of the $25,000 prize if I win. I’ve gotten to know the school, its staff and the members of the PTFA. They’re an enthusiastic bunch and are ready help promote the Leominster entry in the contest.

The school is running the Bubble Appeal, which aims to raise £250,000 to build a hydrotherapy pool for the young people at the school. You can see more about the project here. If we win, the prize will go to the Bubble Appeal.

On 16 March 2012 I was informed by Google that I was one of the finalists in the competition. Frustratingly, I was instructed to keep the news out of the media, blogs, social media, etc. until Google made a big announcement on April first. I didn’t even know who the other finalists were until last night. That deadline has now passed and we can tell the whole world.

The on-line voting will be open for the whole month of April. So, if you’re not committed to another finalist, please go to Google’s Model Your Town 2012 and follow the instructions to vote for Leominster and the Westfield Bubble Appeal. I did it his morning and it takes only a few seconds.

The final winner will be announced by Google on 15 May 2012.