A member of staff from Amber Valley Borough Council has been chosen from over 200 applicants to be the face of ‘Enjoy England’, the official tourist board for England.
Tourism Technical Assistant Margaret Sims, who is based at the Tourist Information Centre in Ripley, was one of only six people from across the country selected to be part of a high profile advertising campaign to promote the Tourist Information Centre network and the services and facilities they provide.
Margaret was invited to attend a photo-shoot in Sheffield - and on Sunday 23 September she will feature in the Sunday Express travel supplement as part of the Enjoy England national press campaign!
Margaret has also been given the opportunity to promote a number of visitor attractions in Amber Valley through a dedicated page on the Enjoy England website, the official site for tourism in England.
“When my colleagues from the tourism team nominated me to take part in the advertising campaign I never dreamt for one minute that I would be chosen” said Margaret. “Attending the photo-shoot was a pretty nerve wracking experience, but everyone was really friendly and soon put us all at ease. It’s turned out to be a fantastic opportunity not only to promote the Tourist Information Centres and the expert service they provide, but also to help promote some of the great attractions we have here in Amber Valley.”
Councillor Stephen Hayes, Deputy Leader of Amber Valley Borough Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Tourism said “The Tourism team at Ripley has had a fantastic year so far, having recently been awarded Enjoy England Official Partner Status by the English Tourism Council, and then short-listed in the category of Tourist Information Centre of the Year for the East Midlands Enjoy England Excellence Awards 2007/8. I’m delighted that Margaret has been selected to be part of this national press advertising campaign, which will hopefully be yet another great boost for tourism in Amber Valley.”
Ends.
For more information please contact Lisa Garnham, PR and Communications Manager at Amber Valley Borough Council, on 01773 841655.
Note for editors:
The Council’s Tourist Information Centre, based in the Town Hall at Ripley, has been short-listed in the category of ‘Tourist Information Centre of the Year’ for the East Midlands Enjoy England Excellence Awards 2007/8. Known as the tourism ‘Oscars’, these awards recognise and reward outstanding tourism businesses that help make the region so attractive to visitors. The winner will be formally announced at an awards event to be held on the 10 October.
The Tourist Information Centre has also been awarded Enjoy England Official Partner Status. This new accreditation from the English Tourism Council, introduced in April, sets a national standard for Tourist Information Centres. The accolade acknowledges the quality of service provided to visitors using the Tourist Information Centre.
The Tourist Information Centre is open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays between 9.30am and 5.30pm, on Wednesdays between 10am and 5.30pm and on Saturdays between 9.30am and 3pm.
