Volunteers welcome visitors to Lyme Regis
Visitors to Lyme Regis this season are discovering a new ‘welcome’ service in the restored seafront Shelters.
Over 50 volunteers from the town are staffing the reception desk in the attractive Jubilee Pavilion, which is open every day of the week between 10.30 and 4.30. Providing this service follows a successful pilot run towards the end of last season, which in a couple of months saw more than 10,000 visitors call in for information, help or just a friendly chat.
One of those holiday-makers commented: “We’re very impressed with a town that makes its visitors welcome - it looks like a town that takes pride in itself.” That catches the purpose of the work done by the volunteers, which complements the professional and much more extensive service provided by the town’s award-winning Tourist Information Centre.
No two days are alike for the volunteers, who enjoy the chance to meet people from all over the UK and indeed the world. Some questions aren’t easily answered - “Have you seen my husband?” from a complete stranger requires a moment of thought - but their good local knowledge means that they can help most people who call by as they walk along Marine Parade.
Chris Boothroyd,
Published on 17/04/2012.
