It's Thumbs Up for ITGD '99
by Fiona Walsh
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Ken Livingstone certainly helped us get our Day off to a great start. Whilst he obligingly posed for photos and gave interviews, we took the opportunity to  bend his ear about what the new Mayor for London could do for tourism and of course for us!
But the real stars of the Day were the hundreds of guides from both The Guild and APTG who worked so hard to put on a dazzling array of free public walks, talks and tours throughout the UK. This year more than ever we tried to put on tours to appeal to the whole community, for example, by tailoring events for people with special needs and children, putting on tours in costume, and including tours in foreign languages. Tour operators, embassies, language schools and others with a specific interest in our work were also invited in many areas. The positive publicity International Tourist Guide Day attracted for the  Blue Badge, made all the hard work worth while.
The Dayand the Blue Badge got extensive coverage on TV (London Tonight) , dozens of radio stations and newspapers both national and local.
But this World Federation of Guides Initiative is not just about blowing our own trumpet, it's a wonderful opportunity for us to give something back to the community (many guides organised outings for organisations such as Leonard Cheshire and John Grooms) as well as to our friends in the tourism industry (the staff of various sites enjoyed free tours too).
Much of what took place was only made possible through the generosity of the many coach/bus companies who donated drivers and vehicles for the Day, and the various sites which waived entrance fees for many of our groups. For example, the Routemaster donated by London General and the banner produced free of charge by TDI Advertising, provided a wonderful backdrop for us at our launch.
I would like to particularly thank the following guides who helped to make the  Day a great success:
Penny Bowden, Peter Jamieson, Michael Glatthorn, Marguerite Ryder-Large, Peter Matthews, Joy Levene, Ian Godfrey, Dieter Schneider, Alan Cross, Malcolm Smith and Suzanne Whitting. Many thanks also to Guild chairman Tom Hooper for his constant support and advice, and to David and Jane in the Guild office, who had to field literally hundreds of calls from both the media and the general public, put up with us monopolising the computers and fax, and sustain a major onslaught on all the office resources. Thanks also to Peter Kavanagh and Stuart Ross at MSF's Communications Office for producing super posters, leaflets and the press-release for our launch."Getting to the parts that the Blue Badge hasn't always reached before!"
This year we tried to put on a programme that was a little out of the ordinary, and to shift some of the focus away from the centre of the city, in order to increase media coverage across London and demonstrate that Blue Badge Guides can do it anywhere! This proved very effective. With an event taking place in every borough, we managed to get into the local press in almost every part of London as well as the Evening Standard and most of the London listings magazines. Jane Henson got an excellent full page spread in The Observer. We gave interviews and Jan Vincent and Diane Burstein featured the day on various London radio stations, including Capital, GLR, LBC, Heart,Talk Radio, News Direct and Mercury. We even featured on TV - London Tonight and cable. Peter Jamieson's Guild website was a real asset.
London
Scandalous Westminster!
A walk by Brian Hicks, focusing on the more colourful incumbents in it's past. The event attracted a keen bunch of approximately 50 people who hung on his every word - even when the rain started.
Westminster's Gay Heritage
An alternative look at some familiar sights with Brian Hicks proved to be extremely popular.
London in Song and Verse
Joy Levene, Ian Godfrey and David Hughes conducted 3 unusual panos with a bus donated by London General, using as a medium the poetry and songs that the city has inspired. The tours were so popular people were fighting to get on! Sing-a-Song of London
You can't keep a good woman down, after a hard day's singing Joy was at it once again with a packed coach keen to discover the original Lambeth Walk and other delights! Thanks to Tellings.
Docklands
Geoffrey Warr heroically conducted four very popular coach tours, each full to capacity! Southlands provided a complimentary coach.
National Gallery Highlights Tours
Organised by Peter Matthews these tours were conducted every half-hour by Nina Feldman, Jane Brand, Brian Abrahams, Charlotte Clements, Sarah Hebblethwaite, Christine Knight, Caroline MacDonald-Haig and Peter - with  attendance growing throughout the day.
Kids Treasure Hunt in Covent Garden
Organised and produced by Michael Glatthorn, written by Joy Levene, and run by Annette Tate, Victoria Stavely-Taylor, Monica Elliston and Sallyann Watson as Eliza Doolittle.
Chelsea Pensioners on the brew..
Andy Charlton took 15 Chelsea Pensioners in their scarlet uniforms to Fuller's Brewery in Chiswick. Clarke's Coaches provided the transport.
Tours of St Paul's Cathedral for the Blind & their Dogs
Helen Clapp, Reg Denny, Liza Spencer, Mike Wale, Paul Basler ,Carol Ridley & Fiona Walsh.
Sightseeing tours
Parishioners of John The Divine, Camberwell enjoyed a sightseeing tour and picnic with Charmian Griffith's which ended at Southwark Cathedral for evensong. The coach was provided by PEMICO.
Members of another St. John's Parish Church in Pinner were guided by Wendy Myers
on a Southbank walk including Southwark Cathedral
Armchair Coaches kindly provided a coach to take senior citizens from "The Wimbledon Guild of Social Welfare" on a guided tour of London with guides Rosemary Snell. & Heather Symes. Two of the participants will celebrate their 100th birthday later this year.
Another coach donated by Armchair took Geertje Rodriguez and her group from the Women's Institute in Twickenham to the London Aquarium for a free visit.
Rose Pockney escorted a group from Walton around the British Museum. She kindly donated her gratuities to the BM.
Rosemary Honey received praise from the Richmond Society of Voluntary Guides and St. Oswald Women's Fellowship for her walk through Clerkenwell
Danny Freeman offered his cab & a free tour of the Tower as a prize on GLR
Jackie Taylor guided a group from John Grooms around Hampton Court, coach donated by Capital
Warren Grynberg took some wheelchair users from Leonard Cheshire on a free trip to The Tower
-Barbara Pukwana and Epsom Coaches took senior citizens from the International Club of St. Martin's in the Fields to Dorney Court.
Blind and Physically Disabled People from North London enjoyed a panoramic with Mona Berman.
Stepping down Memory Lane..
was the headline that appeared in the London Jewish News on February 19th. A fabulous two page report not only advertised Jeff Finegold's walk entitled: London's Jewish East End, but also featured a brilliant account about the training and work of BBG's.
Foreign Language Tours:
JAPANESE:Kinuko Hirahara, Yukihiro Ushido and Miyuki Koyama-Bray
GERMAN:Barbara Selwood, Dieter Schneider & Nina Teller
RUSSIAN:Yura Brengauz and Natasha Dissanayake
ITALIAN:Max Zanotti and Maurizio Patti
FRENCH:Caroline Tollmache and Amelie Berest
SPANISH: Milagros Dapena and Veronica O'Brien -
Pemico, Bicknell's, Capital and Epsom kindly provided complimentary coaches for these tours.
Index of Locations
London Local Heritage Walks
Walks took place in every London borough! Guides worked tremendously hard; most had to research their area completely from scratch, but their efforts were greatly appreciated and some walks attracted particularly high numbers. Local mayors were in attendance at Greenwich, Wandsworth and Kensington.
Barking & Dagenham: Steve Denford,
Barnet: Norma Giori
Bexley: Geoffrey Davis
Brent: Robert Leon
Bromley: Nigel Hake
Camden: Marilies Jackson
City of London: Isobel Durrant
Croydon: John Mufty
Ealing: Paul Johnson
Enfield: David Jagger
Greenwich: Diane Burstein
Hackney: Mary Sewell
Hammersmith & Fulham: Gabrielle Leigh-Wood
Haringey: Sylvia Fenton
Harrow: Judy Duncan
Havering: Renata Howell
Hounslow: Pamela McHutchon
Islington: Alan Middleditch
Kensington & Chelsea: Alan Cross
Kingston upon Thames: Jo Routs
Lambeth: Clare Sunderland
Lewisham: Colvin Cowen
Merton: Hilary Osborn
Newham: Pam Sandifer
Redbridge: Anthony Astell
Richmond upon Thames: Victoria Herriot
Southwark:
Costumed guides - Phil Cookson, Steph Tickner, Kevin Harrison, Duncan Duff, Ian Glennie, Janet Date, Mike Wale and Victoria Coleman
Escorting Guides - Marguerite Ryder-Large, Suzanne Whitting, Janina Coghlan-Jasiewicz-Marinescu, Anny Price, Mary Frost, Rosemary Pollard, Joy Benham, Avril Rohou and Fiona Walsh
Sutton: Christopher Harrison
Tower Hamlets: Geoffrey Kelsey
Waltham Forest: Alec Wilson
Wandsworth: David Elvin
City of Westminster: Sallyann Watson
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West Country
Margaret Smith, Pat Shepherd and Penny May's tours in Salisbury were attended by its Mayor and Mayoress.
Bob Curtis conducted tours of Sherborne.
Derek Pride got 22 people out on a walk around Dorchester despite the inclement weather.
Alistair Chisholm and Alison de Candole put on tours of Weymouth.
Guides conducted tours of The Old Crown Court and Cells in Dorchester.
Diana Goetz took a guided walk of old Shaftesbury and then in the afternoon had lots of people turn out hoping for a glimpse of the ghost of the Duke of Buckingham in Debenhams on her ghost-tour of Salisbury! .
Philippa Newnham provided an afternoon stroll around Romsey.
Tours featured on local radio Wiltshire Sound and in Salisbury Journal.
Frank Turner's talk/slide show on Buckfast Abbey went down well with Torquay's Over 50s Club particularly as the evening was rounded up with choral music and some sampling of Buckfast's famous wine! In fact Frank has already received bookings for further talks and visits and featured in Herald Express.
Index of Locations
Bristol
Open Top Bus Tours were conducted in English and German by Robert Porton, and Keith Anderson. Guests included the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress of Bristol, hoteliers, museum-managers and those involved in regional and local tourism promotion. Bus kindly donated by Warwick Hulme. Tours featured in Bristol Evening Post and on BBC Radio Bristol
Lois Cann conducted a walking-tour of Redcliffe area.
Index of Locations
Hertfordshire
City Guides play host to their Cathedral counterparts. St Albans Guides invited members of the Cathedral Guides Association on a "Historic St. Albans" walk. This was covered in the Herts Advertiser.
Index of Locations
Colchester
Colchester Tourist Guides Association " But I never touched a drop!"
Colchester Blue Badge Guides took an unusual tour of some of the city's finest 15th and 16th century pubs -i.e. by encouraging people to admire just the exteriors for a change!
Index of Locations
Yorkshire
Louise Keegan, Alan Johns, Steve Bell, Roger Armistead and John Bakes from the Yorkshire Association of Blue Badge Guides offered free tours of York. Louise arranged for herself and Steve to be interviewed on BBC Radio York. The day also featured in the Yorkshire Post.
Next year guides are looking forward to putting on an even greater programme of events.
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Manchester
Gareth Edwards, deputy chair of the Guild of Manchester Tourist Guides, together with Ken Frenton and a team of guides put on 16 free walking tours including:
Castlefield - Then and Now, The Manchester Man, The Manchester Bomb - June 96, A City Ale Trail, Town Hall Visit, Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Manchester Rebels, Ancoats - an Early Industrial Community, Manchester's Plaques, Mediaeval Manchester, Manchester Past, Present and to Come.
Media coverage included Manchester City Life magazine, South Manchester Messenger, and BBC Greater Manchester Radio.
Index of Locations
Merseyside
Ann Jones and Anne Walton conducted a maritime walk for local people. Donations went to local Sea Scouts whose sailing equipment was stolen - Valerie Hozack and Brian King walk concentrated on an ecclesiastical theme for Merseysiders - A visiting American youth choir was taken on a free tour of Liverpool by Les Cox - Donations raised by Diane Nowell during a slide presentation for a Dysphasia Group in Runcorn were given to their society.
Index of Locations
Wales
Margaret Butler organised a talk to raise the profile of the Blue Badge in Cardiff which as in so many other areas is blighted by a number of NON-Blue Badge guides
Index of Locations
Northern Ireland
Wendy Hood and Lowell Courtney took part in a live broadcast on BBC Radio Ulster to raise awareness about the Blue Badge in the North of Ireland.
Index of Locations
Scotland
"At least now they know that we exist" says Jean Duncan from Edinburgh, who organised a coach tour of the Scottish capital for a local church group, the Davidsons Mains Church Fellowship Group / Edinburgh. Her tour included free entrance to Edinburgh Castle. The event was so successful, the group want to do even more next year.
Index of Locations
What the papers said
. . . tourist guides are often ridiculed as umbrella wielding nannies of seemingly helpless and gawping foreigners. However, today both London inhabitants and their tourist guides get the recognition they deserve.
The Big Issue, Feb 15-21 1999
There is a feeling anyone can turn their hand to guiding without any training. But to promote the heritage of the country you have to be properly trained by the tourist board - and the Blue Badge of your guide tells you that.
Quote by Fiona Walsh published in the Evening Standard, 17 February
..professional tour guides give the public a freebie, just to remind them that a professional does it better. And as London's Blue Badge Guides indignantly - and correctly - point out, there is a vast gulf of knowledge and experience between the "guides" on many of London's open-topped tour buses and a qualified Blue Badge Guide.
Associated Newspaper Ltd., 18 Feb, published on This is London (Evening Standard) website under Days Out Guide
Blue Badge guides - the highest level that a tour guide can attain - will give free tours to members of the Cathedral Guides Association
Herts Adviser, 18 Feb, article on "Historic St. Albans" walk
We are often the people who foreign tourists have most contact with and we realise that the impression we give and the effort we make are very important
Quote by Keith Anderson / Bristol BBG, published in the Bristol Evening News, 19 Feb
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