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News
ABOVE: Caroline Fowler is your British friend in Canterbury, where you'll also find a great cathedral. Make friends in Britain's Heritage CitiesMeet locals from Stratford-upon-Avon, Durham and other historic British cities NEW YORK -- American travelers are being given the opportunity to say "hi" before they fly, to a wide range of friends from some of the most historic cities in Britain. The scheme is the brainchild of VisitBritain, who have enlisted Britain's Heritage Cities as a key partner in their Be A Brit Different campaign, which--as anyone who takes a look at the website www.beabritdifferent.com will quickly discover--is currently introducing US holiday makers to a host of "British Friends," as well as some intriguing 'insider tips.' It's an eye-catching way for this exclusive club of world-famous cities to promote themselves to the American public. And the cities--Bath, Durham, Canterbury, Chester, Stratford-upon-Avon, Lincoln, Oxford and York--have, in turn, come up with some fascinating friends. Stratford-upon-Avon, for example, has chosen Alycia Smith-Howard, a Shakespeare scholar, freelance writer, researcher and lecturer from New York City, who now lives near to the Bard's hometown. The writer of a popular lifestyle blog, with a regular global audience of more than 1,500 readers, Smith-Howard notes: "I love it here. I couldn't imagine living anywhere else in the world. And, as a Shakespeare scholar and freelance writer, I have the knowledge and ability to write from the perspective of an insider--someone who currently resides, and who has lived here previously--with the eye of an outsider. This sort of intimate and personal engagement will captive readers, and potentially lure them to travel abroad." York, meantime, will be encouraging a nun-turned-entrepreneur--who rescued a convent by turning it into a B&B accommodation and shop, and who is passionate about the city in which she lives and works--to provide regular updates on her various activities. Durham has called on Mark Wilson, the proprietor of a unique company: North of England Trike Tours, which offers its guests the chance to experience the thrill of riding on the back of a three-seater chauffeured trike around the streets of the beautiful City of Durham. Oxford's friend is Max Mason. Previously serving with Her Majesty's Royal Navy, surveying the far flung oceans of the world, Mason now divides his time between his Oxford 'Bangers and Mash' eatery and Paris, where he works on an innovative Aids charity. Chester's friend is Tom Jones, who--amongst other things--has spent the last seven years working as a town guide. One of his specialities is the ghost tour of Chester, and he writes: "It's terrifically rewarding--I'll never forget the response from a severely disabled boy who brought his parents on one of my recent tours. He thoroughly enjoyed it, and told me that he couldn't remember the last time he'd been so scared!" Canterbury's friend is Caroline Fowler, who works and lives in the city. Ideally placed to provide some insider tips for visitors she works in both the tourism and local economy departments, and is passionate about promoting Canterbury as a world class heritage destination. US visitors wanting more information about Be A Brit Different can call VisitBritain at (800) 462- 2748, e-mail travelinfo@visitbritain.org, or else visit the website www.visitbritain.com/us. Britain's Heritage Cities are united by the very things which, individually,
make them stand out from the crowd - two thousand years of history; top class
hotels and spas; world class festivals and culture; and some of the very best
food and drink in the country. For further details, visit
www.heritagecities.com.
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