Chance To Become a Greeter and Share Passion For Kent
Kent people with a passion for their county, and who can spare some time to share their enthusiasm with visitors to their area, are invited to become part of a new Kent Greeters network.
A countywide Greeters network is being established by Visit Kent following two successful pilot projects in East Kent enabling visitors to book a meeting with a local volunteer who shares their interests.
The Thanet scheme was the first to be launched in Europe and was inspired by the success of the Big Apple Greeters who have become an essential feature of any visit to New York.
The Thanet Greeters started taking bookings for meetings for visitors from the UK and overseas early last year and this spring saw the start of the White Cliffs Greeters programme covering the Dover, Deal and Sandwich area.
Fran Warrington, head of Visit Kent at Kent County Council, said: “A meeting with a Greeter is the fast-track to a great holiday or short break in Kent. Just a short discussion with a local person who shares your interests – be it looking for family-friendly attractions, seeking out the sites celebrating local historic events, planning a walk in the countryside or discovering the most scenic cycle routes and golf courses – makes all the difference.
The success of the projects in Thanet and in our White Cliffs Country has demonstrated that this is a service that has huge potential to grow and is proving rewarding not only for our visitors but also for the many volunteers taking part.
Volunteer Greeters are provided with full training and support. They can also register any of their specific interests and areas of expertise – such as sport, local history, archaeology or rural pursuits.
When a visitor to the county books a Greeter meeting they are matched with a local Greeter who shares their stated interests and who is available on the day. It is very straightforward and it means that our Greeters can be flexible about the amount of time they wish to volunteer.”
Everyone interested in becoming a volunteer Kent Greeter and celebrating their pride in their local area is invited to attend one of three meetings being held across the county. The meetings are not area specific and people are advised book for the most the most convenient one.
The Kent Greeters meetings will be held on:
- Wednesday, July 8, at 6pm, at Westgate Hall, Westgate Hall Road, Canterbury;
- Wednesday, July 22, at 6.30pm, at the Camden Centre, Royal Victoria Place,
- Tunbridge Wells; and Wednesday, July 29, at 6pm, at the Gravesend Towncentric, St Georges Square, Gravesend.
To book a place, call Visit Kent on 01622 696936.
The Kent Greeters are part of the Celebrating Kent campaign being run by Visit Kent at Kent County Council working with businesses and residents to raise awareness of the importance of the tourism, leisure and hospitality industry to the local economy in the run-up to the London Games in 2012.
More than 45 million people visit Kent every year and the county is expecting an influx of visitors this summer. More UK people are choosing to holiday closer to home and overseas residents are taking advantage of current currency exchange rates.
