Lynne's community spirit
Lynne Fletcher, Day Centre Coordinator for the Jimmy Macs Activity Centre in Hertfordshire, talks to Kerry Bailey about her role as a group travel organiser and the part she plays in the life-changing work being carried out within her community.
Lynne waves to a group of people arranged into complex looking positions on yoga mats as she leads me down a bright corridor to her office. “That’s our television room,” she explains. “But it sometimes doubles up as a yoga room as you can see! This is our games room,” she continues pausing again to wave at a group of people playing darts and snooker. “And over here is the hairdressers, computer room, charity shop and the restaurant, which is busy serving lunch as the moment.”
I am being given a guided tour of the Jimmy Macs Activity Centre in Hertfordshire, where Lynne Fletcher has worked as a Day Centre Coordinator since it was founded 17 years ago. “The Jimmy Macs Activity Centre is a charity,” she says as we settle down in her office. “It was established 17 years ago to offer support and activities to the retired and disabled members of the local community. The building itself was built and is still owned by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, which also provides us with financial grants – we merely pay a small hire fee to use it – however, all of the goings on inside the Centre are arranged and funded by Jimmy Macs.”
Lynne is paid to work five days a week; however, with so much to do on top of fundraising and the day-to-day running of the Centre, she also volunteers her time on Sundays and is the group travel organiser for the Centre’s Travel Club. “Doing what I do is really more of a lifestyle than a job,” she smiles.
The ins and outs
Around 1,000 regular faces pass through the doors of Jimmy Macs every week to take advantage of the daily programme of free activities arranged by Lynne, which include tai chi, line dancing, carpet bowls, badminton and bingo. The Lunch Club, where people can enjoy home cooked food at prices that have been subsidised by Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council, is another popular draw.
“The Travel Club is the thing that takes up lots of my time though,” explains Lynne. “I arrange all sorts of theatre trips, outings and holidays at prices that have been subsidised by the charity with around four or five taking place every month.”
There is no membership fee for the Travel Club, everyone that attends the Centre on a regular basis is welcome and Lynne displays all forthcoming trips on a colourful notice board in the main lounge.
“Most of my ideas for trips come from reading GTO magazine or from attending the annual Excursions and BTTF shows,” she continues. “I think it’s really important to attend events where you can actually meet with suppliers face-to-face as it helps you to build much more personal relationships. The Group Travel Organiser’s Association is also another really invaluable resource. If I’m planning a break and need a comfort stop in a certain area, I give someone at GTOA a call, usually Dennis Chantry the Vice Chairman, and they always come up with the goods!”
Getting out and about
“I always hire coaches from Welham Travel, a brilliant coach operator based in Hatfield, for all of our travel to and from the theatre and on day trips. I also use its services for weekend breaks, unless I arrange another form of transport via a tour operator,” says Lynne. “We generally have the same driver too, Malcolm, who knows us inside out and is good fun!”
“Because we are so close to London here, I normally take different groups to see most of the top West End shows a couple of times a year.” She continues, “I always book theatre tickets through Encore Advance, the ticketing agency based in London, as it has really reasonable deals for groups and I have a good relationship with the staff.”
Dirty Dancing was a real hit with the group of 50 that Lynne accompanied in December. “It was a great show and made a perfect Christmas treat.”
The Sound of Music, meanwhile, was so popular that Lynne had to forsake her own ticket! “I booked 50 tickets plus one for myself,” she chuckles. “But there was such a demand for them that I ended up parting with my ticket so that someone else could go. Everyone came back thrilled!”
Although her group is not one that enjoys visiting individual tourist attractions on a regular basis, Lynne organises at least two ‘mystery trips’ a month, which prove most popular with her members. These include an excursion by coach to a new town of city, where members are allowed free time, followed by a pre-booked lunch. “Everyone likes getting on the coach and not knowing where they are going,” she explains.
After work, Lynne scours the local area for locations that are perfect for nature rambles and walks. She laughs, “I sometimes find myself walking miles after I finish work at the Centre, trying to find a good route as I have lots of members who like to take walks in the local vicinity.”
Overnight affairs
The bulk of Lynne’s trips are overnight UK breaks. “I tend to use the same hotels and suppliers because I know my members like them,” she comments.
Two hotels that feature heavily in Lynne’s programme of breaks are the Bay View Court Hotel and the Ocean View Hotel in Bournemouth,. “They are both owned by Bournemouth Resort Hotels and I have used both of them for the past 16 years on a regular basis,” she says. “The staff are lovely and the leisure facilities are brilliant.”
She continues, “When we stay at either hotel, I hire a coach with an excellent Bournemouth-based coach operator called Laguna Travel and run day excursions to local towns such as Poole and Christchurch.”
“We’re also regulars at Warner Breaks’ hotels,” says Lynne with a smile. “Stephanie in the groups department at Warner really helped me out when, in October last year, the private hotel that I had booked for our Christmas and New Year package for 58 was sold. I gave Stephanie a call and she said that she would accommodate us for the same price that I was going to pay at the other hotel and really saved my bacon! We stayed for five nights at Norton Grange, a Coastal Resort on the Isle of Wight. Everyone was so thrilled with the hotel and its entertainment.”
Fifty of Lynne’s members had previously stayed at Sinah Warren in Hampshire, one of Warner Breaks’ Character Hotels, in July for two nights and were all, once again, very impressed with the range of entertainment on offer.
“I also took a group of 46 to stay for the weekend at Corton in Suffolk, one of Warners’ Coastal Resorts, in February 2005, and was really pleased with the standard of service and with the company’s group rates. Warner hotels are certainly well geared up for groups.”
Another hotel chain frequented by Lynne and her group is Thistle Hotels. “Thistle offers really good rates for groups and I always find that the hotels are centrally placed so make a good base for sightseeing,” she comments. “I took 50 people to stay at Thistle Tower Bridge in London for two days in August 2005 and the hotel was lovely. For each day, I issued members with a map of the city and a City Cruises River Red Rover Ticket, so they could hop on and off the company’s sightseeing vessels all day, and then I let them do their own thing. The River Red Rover Ticket is an excellent idea because you don’t have to worry about transporting your group around the city.”
Occasionally for overnight breaks, Lynne likes to hand over the organising to a tour operator and she favours two in particular.
“Success Tours, the tour operator based in Wiltshire, organised a fantastic four-day break in Chester, Cheshire, in June last year for 50 members,” says Lynne. “We stayed at the lovely Westminster Hotel, which laid on fantastic themed entertainment in the evenings including a 1950s night complete with an Elvis impersonator!”
Thecoachholiday.com, the tour operator based in Gloucestershire, is another favourite with Lynne. “This company offers really good value for money and organises lovely breaks,” she comments. “I work in conjunction with Jeremy Pinnock, who is great with group bookings. Fifty of my members particularly liked a five-day break in Eastbourne last September. We stayed at The Carlton Hotel and enjoyed all kinds of excursions that I had arranged to nearby places such as Arundel, and Hastings; everyone loved the Old Town there! I have also arranged a five day break for 50 of my members to Pontins Pakefield in Suffolk with the company for the end of this month, which everyone is looking forward to,” she comments.
Overseas offerings
Overseas breaks are also popular with Lynne’s group and she tends to work in conjunction with Success Tours when planning these although has arranged breaks to Amsterdam, France and Belgium on her own in the past.
“I had always used Bob Cole Travel in Kent in the past but, following the company’s demise, I followed one of its staff members, Tony Flanagan, to Success. I’ve built up a really good relationship with the company and get on well with both Tony Flanagan and Steve, the Managing Director. They know exactly what my group needs and always come up with excellent itineraries and hotels; they’re good fun too!”
One break particularly enjoyed by the group was a seven-day trip to the Bay of Naples in Italy in September with 50 people. “Although it rained pretty much the whole time, this trip was still good,” chuckles Lynne. “We stayed at a hotel called Grand Hotel Pinetamare, which was lovely.” During the day, Lynne allows her members to explore the surroundings at their own pace. “My group usually like to do their own thing,” she explains. “Saying that, on this trip Success had arranged a full-day excursion to Sorrento and Amalfi with a guide and everyone loved it … but it was still raining!”
Lille in France had proved to be a hit with Lynne’s group the previous July, meanwhile, when she had accompanied 50 people by Eurostar for a weekend break. “This was another break with Success Tours,” she begins. “It was so well organised and easy. We travelled to London Waterloo via coach, hopped on the Eurostar in the morning and were in Lille for lunch; the transport was very smooth. We stayed at the Novotel Lille Centre Nouveau Siecle, which was very conveniently placed for visits to markets and shopping.”
Coming up
Over the coming months, Lynne will remain as busy as ever with lots of trips in the pipeline.
“In June, I’m taking 50 people to stay at the Rainbow International Hotel in Torquay for a week. I stayed there last month on a familiarisation visit; it has brilliant leisure facilities, we’ll be treated to nightly entertainment and it looks lovely after its recent refurbishment.”
Later, in July, meanwhile, Lynne has organised a week-long barge holiday on the Grand Union Canal through London, through a charity called Reach Out Projects based in Hertfordshire, which provides holidays for people with special needs. “The barges are owned by Reach Out and have excellent disabled facilities,” enthuses Lynne. “We always really enjoy ourselves.”
Another trip booked as a result of a familiarisation trip is a four day break to Ljubljana in Slovenia for 50 people, which will take place in December and has been booked via GN Holidays, the tour operator based in Middlesex. “I went on a seven-day familiarisation trip to Slovenia with GN Holidays last year and I just couldn’t believe how beautiful the country is and how much there is to do! The whole trip was great, the staff at GN Holidays certainly know the country well and I know it will be our first of many visits to the country.”
Lynne has an evident passion for her work and has no intention of slowing down now or in the future! “I can’t see myself retiring,” she chuckles. “I love my work in the community too much; as I said in the beginning, Jimmy Macs is a lifestyle more than a job”.