Radio broadcasts from Newstead Abbey to celebrate Ada Lovelace bicentenary

A worldwide celebration of acclaimed scientist Ada Lovelace based at her ancestral home Newstead Abbey will mark the 200th anniversary of her birth. Amateur radio enthusiasts will have the chance to take part in the unique event based from Newstead Abbey. The Amateur Radio Special Event Station, call sign GB200ADA, will set up to broadcast from the abbey in the café courtyard from 10 to 13 December. The event is to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Ada Lovelace on 10 December 1815. Expected to gain worldwide attention, the event is organised by the Phoenix Radio Group in partnership with the Youth Hostels Amateur Radio Group, and welcomes participation from individual radio amateurs and local clubs. A special downloadable certificate will be available to everyone who makes contact with the Special Event Station GB200AD. Ada Lovelace - the only legitimate child of Lord Byron and his wife Anne Isabella Milbanke, Baroness Wentworth - was a mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer -  the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithm intended to be carried out by a machine. Because of this, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer. In 1847, she also predicted that the use of algorithms and computers would have wider applications in science in the future. Amateur Radio is a public service and hobby regulated internationally by the International Telecommunications Union and licenced in the UK by Ofcom. It allows radio experimenters and enthusiasts to undertake two-way, person-to-person communications with like-minded people throughout the UK and around the world. Councillor Dave Trimble, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Culture, said: “We wish Phoenix Radio Group and YHARG every success with this novel celebration. This is a very fitting way to remember the life of such an important historical figure, whose life is so associated with the Abbey. I look forward to seeing a flurry of worldwide activity this week.” More information about this event can be found at: www.M0PHX.org.uk  and  www.YHARG.org.uk Email enquiries to GB200ADA@PhoenixARC.org.uk The Abbey is open to visitors on the event days. Opening times can be found on www.newsteadabbey.org.uk.