The city of Wells in Somerset has been awarded the title of ‘Coach Friendly City’ from the Confederation of Passenger Transport (CPT).
The accreditation is given to destinations that demonstrate they have a ‘clear commitment to understanding the needs of the coach, its passengers and driver’. To date, just 30 cities, towns and villages in the UK have met the requirements to gain this accreditation.
The award was given following a two year project called ‘Visit by Coach’ that has improved all aspects of group travel visits to Wells.
Ian Jefferies from Visit by Coach, commented: “This award is great recognition of two years’ collaborative working by many groups and individuals within Wells. The accreditation is highly regarded within the industry and will hopefully reinforce the great name Wells has gained in the group travel world and improve the visit of the passengers and drivers even more.
“We have already seen a big rise in coach input and hopefully this will help improve that further.”
Some ideas for groups to enjoy on a trip to Wells:
• Market Days on Wednesday and Saturdays throughout the year are very popular with group visit, and are held at Market Place.
• Walking tours of Wells are available for groups and must be pre-booked. They can be arranged by emailing guide@wellswalkingtours.co.uk.
• Wells Cathedral is another popular attraction to visit; tailored packages, special interest tours and catering options are available for prebooked groups.
• Wells Bishop’s Palace & Gardens has been the home of the Bishops of Bath & Wells for over 800 years, and there are 14 acres of gardens, including an arboretum, Community Garden and Garden of Reflection to explore.
If you are visiting Wells as part of a group and wish to arrange a meet and greet, contact Ross Young on ross-young@hotmail.co.uk or 07721-523487.
For further information visit www.wellssomerset.com.
Wales-based coach tour operator Leisuretime by Toureasy held its first customer reunion weekend and celebrated by inviting the world-famous Treorchy Male Choir to give their clients a special surprise concert.
Group Leisure & Travel was one of the 20 new members of the Coach Tourism Association to attend its annual conference weekend in Newcastle.
The popular annual conference and awards organised by Dunwood Travel took place at Warner’s Studley Castle in Warwickshire, between 3rd and 5th January with around 350 guests attending.
The award-winning musical by Jethro Compton and Darren Clark will transfer to the West End following a sold-out run at Southwark Playhouse.
