Achievements, Adverts and an Achilles
25th September 2019
Categories: Latest News
another blog by Emma Williams
"...I wouldn't sweep the floor in Woolworths!"
As September draws to a close, so does my first summer season with Visit Weston along with our Visitor Information Centre (only until the spring, don’t worry, we’ll be back!) It’s all been an amazing experience, even with the personal trials and tribulations I’ve been forced to face along the way.
On that topic, for those that followed my blogs earlier in the year, I have an update! My previously ruptured Achilles tendon has been an absolute superstar and repaired itself beautifully, and so I’m pretty much out of the surgical boot now (for those watching Strictly Come Dancing, you’ll have seen ‘benched’ contestant Jamie Laing sporting the very same boot – I’m a trendsetter, clearly!) I’m being a star pupil and doing my nightly physiotherapy exercises and trying not to do too much and risk undoing all the healing. I’ll not be walking the daily school run and commute again for a while, but even small and slow progress is progress. And to be at this stage of recovery by the end of September - and not November as previously thought, is a great victory.
Thankfully, even with my limited mobility, I’ve been able to work (almost) uninterrupted throughout the summer holidays and even in my boot, it’s a been a really fun and eye-opening few weeks that have gifted me some valuable experience. As I’d only moved to Weston at the end of August 2018, I’d previously seen very little of just how busy and vibrant the town is when the sun shines and the visitors arrive and then to also be working amongst it, this summer has provided huge insight for me.
I’ve now been working as Tourism Marketing Officer for six months, and am pleased to announce that I’m now officially ‘in-post’ and completed my probationary period with a reassuringly positive appraisal. There was certainly an element of having to ‘hit the ground running’ when I took on the role in March, right on the cusp of high season and the busiest time of year for the team. But I believe that the best way to learn anything is to throw yourself into doing it and you’ll soak up the knowledge and skill along the way, hopefully that’s exactly what I’ve been doing.
What I’d like to, if you’ll indulge me, is to look back on some of my favourite highlights and team achievements from the last six months, and share with you what Team Visit Weston has been busy with, and how we’ve been working hard promoting Weston-super-Mare to the rest of the world.
Whilst we’ve had a decent summer - weather-wise, the washout we experienced in June made its mark on the start of the season and many of us feared the worst for a high season that wouldn’t come close to challenging the successes of 2018. As we all know, the weather in June meant the Weston Air Show’s headline act, The Red Arrows had to cut-short their display because of the appalling and dangerous visibility. This was a particular blow to me personally, as my family had travelled down from Doncaster to stay for the weekend and enjoy our famous Air Weekend and the promise of a spectacular display from Red Leader. It was still a thoroughly enjoyable weekend though, and I loved being able to show Weston off to my relatives on such a momentous date in the town’s calendar. Seeing my daughter and 3-year-old niece riding donkeys together on the beach was a gorgeous moment. The weekend also saw huge numbers of people through of the doors of the Visitor Information Centre, including me regularly calling in to top-up my water bottle from the refill station, but we also hydrated lots of thirsty dogs that weekend - my parents’ pooches included. My Mum was amazed by the dog-friendliness of Weston and how many other dogs there were. For me to see their two four-legged numpties bounding around in the sea and having the time of their lives, was brilliant too.
Speaking of the beach, I’ve been privileged and humbled to have been involved with some many lovely occasions surrounding our Beach Wheelchair this summer. From 103-year-old Blanche, to the Hann family, wheelchair users young and old have all reported back what a great bit of kit our wheelchair is. So often we’ve heard how without the adapted wheelchair they’d not have been able to all enjoy the beach together as a family, or that somebody is always left-out; it’s an honour to be able to contribute to an amazing whole-team effort in offering this facility on behalf of the town. Chatting with Blanche was one of the highlights of the summer for me, what an incredible person she is! I’ll never forget when I asked her what she’d worked as before she retired, her answer was priceless, ‘I’ve done all sorts of things - women had to get involved more during the war, especially. And I’d have a go at anything. The one thing I refused to do though, was when I’d started working at Woolworths, and I got the sack because I wouldn’t sweep the floor’. Fair enough Blanche, you tell ‘em.
The team at the Visitor Information Centre that oversee services like the Beach Wheelchair, have all been incredibly kind and supportive to me too since I joined them. When I’ve needed their assistance with anything – from their ideas and expertise to endless cups of coffee or lifts in their car when I’ve been unable to walk, nothing has been too much to ask and I’m thrilled to call them friends as well as colleagues. I dearly hope that they’re all eager to come back and do it all again with me next summer – just maybe without the ruptured Achilles though! Also, to pass on feedback from somebody else very grateful; S (my 6-year-old daughter) has been made to feel like an honorary part of the team too. On the days when I had to bring her along to work, everybody was great with her; and she’s now gone from always wanting to grow up and become a Doctor to wanting to work in the VIC instead… Hmmm… Maybe she can do both?
I can see her point though. I’ve had the chance to be involved in so many really enjoyable and exciting projects during my first six months and for a kid to see Mummy designing and ‘playing’ with a giant deckchair (our aptly named Weston-super-Chair), having things she’s done on the telly and radio, having fun with her work friends, bringing home yummy cake from the office – must be really appealing. My job is enormous fun (most of the time) and even when it’s not laugh-a-minute stuff, it’s always interesting and rewarding, especially the more ‘official’ Town Council-based side of it. I think my own professional highlight so far, and the achievement I’m the proudest of since I began though, is getting Visit Weston on national TV.
In August we sponsored the EFL Championship season-opener at Ashton Gate between City and Leeds United. The match was aired on Sky Sports Main Event and received an audience of over 400,000 people, and our whizzy digital artwork and animations on the pitch-side boards and the Visit Weston logo, website address and what-not, were seen by far more people than we’d normally be able to reach in just one ad campaign. There have been measurable successes and benefits for us as a result of the match too, which is a nice outcome for me after taking a chance on a new sort of campaign. Another little triumph that we’ve been celebrating is one you can all go and visit yourselves right now if you’re passing Bristol Airport. Visit Weston have occupied an advertising ‘sail’ suspended on the entry/exit roundabout in the airport carpark, as well as animated digital screen ads in baggage reclaim. Hopefully when passengers are stood around frustrated at how long their luggage is taking to arrive, they’d consider visiting Weston next time, instead!
I have a quieter and more proactive time ahead over the winter now, planning and researching what I’d like to concentrate on before next summer, as well as working on some updates and new content for the Visit Weston website. Before I know it, I’ll have come full circle back to spring and be celebrating my first year in post – a slightly mind-blowing idea! Being tasked with selling and promoting Weston-super-Mare for a living, is a lovely job to have; I couldn’t believe my luck when I found the job advertised and then to go on and actually get it?! Wow.
So thanks everybody, thanks to Weston Town Council for welcoming me so warmly and putting their trust in me to go and get stuck in. Thank you everybody at the Visitor Information Centre for all your help during silly-season and showing me how wonderful Weston is in the summer and thank you to Westonians far and wide for making my first year amongst you so great. Choosing to move down here from Yorkshire, was the best decision I’ve ever made and I have all of you to thank for that.
