Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#1
Back in February (the 12th.), I was invited to attend the launch of the new LD Lines ferry service.
A great day and a very good ship and service; it also of course re-opened up the Dover Boulogne route.
As I was standing on deck at Boulogne Harbour, I thought "this is great, but why don't we promote Dover to the French ?".
I spoke to a number of people, including a chap called Nick Stevens (Andrew's older brother - which I didn't know at that time) about it and he said he would talk to LD Lines in Paris about it.
I have worked with Nick closely over the ensuing months and he has been very supportive all the way.
I spoke to a number of other bodies about part-funding the leaflet, so it would be affordable to our hard-up, hard-stretched, local businesses, but for various reasons I couldn't get any financial (or moral) support, not even from the Tourism body - WCCTA.
I persevered and went round speaking to the businesses here - National Chains and good independant businesses.
After a while, LD Lines came back and said yes they would support this initiative, I only had one local business who denigrated the idea and said no, all the other businesses nearly bit my hand off.
Well, I'm very pleased to say that I collected the first 1000 (of a total of 10,000) from the printers (R.K.Graphics) yesterday afternoon, ready for the official launch on Monday.
The leaflet is a full-colour, glossy leaflet, with around 40 businesses and bodies on it, from M & S, Boots, Dorothy Perkins and JJB Sports, to local independants where the owners have put their money and their lives, into Dover; companies like Allan Hughes, Curiosity of Dover, La Salle Verte and many others, all of whom need supporting.
We have English Heritage, The National Trust as well as small local historic sites and attractions like Crabble Corn Mill, The Transport Museum, Roman Painted House, Dover Museum and the Bronze-Age Boat Gallery and the White Cliffs Boat tours.
It has been translated into French - by a Frenchman, who is very conversant in English and has been checked and checked again, but (probably) there'll be the odd error that's been overlooked.
So, despite all the opposition to it, we now have a leaflet (in French) that will be distributed on board the LD Lines new fast ferry, the Norman Arrow, as well as their conventional ferry, the Cote de Al' Batre and many other outlets in and around Boulogne and hopefully Le Touquet just up the road from there.
I have done this because I believe in Dover and wanted to help the Town, its businesses and historic sites and attractions in a practical way.
I would like to do a similar exercise with P. and O. or SeaFrance for the people in and around Calais and Norfolk Line for the people in and around Dunkirk, so we could eventually have the whole coastal area of Nord Pas de Calais, from Dunkirk to Dieppe, knowing about the good points and places of Dover. But, again, it depends on funding.
Roger
Guest 651- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 5,673
#2
Excellent, well done, look forwards to seeing it.
Will it be available online/pdf ?
Been nice knowing you :)
Guest 640- Registered: 21 Apr 2007
- Posts: 7,819
#3
An xcellent idea Roger all along so you are to be congratulated. You are putting others to shame frankly..bodies that should be proactive in initiatives like this but never seem to do anything. Dover Pride for example...what do they do??
where are they? what hole are they hiding in?
It is extraordinary that it is all down to you in the end, but by the sound of it you have done a brilliant job. You should get official recognition from the Queen for your initiatives in the community...all voluntary work. In a day when they have knighted Dracula I dont see why you shouldnt get at least one of those MBE things for your efforts to wealth create here in Dover, for the people of Dover.
Sue Nicholas- Location: river
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 6,025
#4
Paul trying to get someone honoured from the local community is hard work .There are several out there who need recognition.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#5
At the moment Scotchie, the leaflet is in two pdf's, but I will be asking if it can be made into one (I'll try myself later on), so it could (given permission) be put on DDC's whitecliffscountry website. I would also like the hoteliers to put it on theirs and the Dover Guest House Association too.
Any business or body that would be happy to have it on their website as a downloadable pdf will be able to.
Thanks for your compliments Paul(B) - Dover needs a better deal than it has been getting in recent years.
Sue, I thought you were going to end your posting with "before Roger" - which is true I'm sure.
We do need a more CAN-DO attitude and support from both DDC, DTC and WCCTA on many tourism initiatives that are put forward, many of which do not cost an arm and a leg.
Brian Philp was right a couple of weeks ago.
Roger
Guest 643- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 1,321
#6
Roger you deserve every accolade going for what you do for Dover - in fact I think you should be the Mayor!! Not meaning any disrespect for our present mayor of course, just that Roger is so good. I've never known anyone as passionate about their home town than you and it's all voluntary I believe. Well done and a big thank you from me for all you do. xx
There's always a little truth behind every "Just kidding", a little emotion behind every "I don't care" and a little pain behind every "I'm ok".
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#7
Thank you Jacqui.
You have to be a Town Councillor to be Mayor and I understand a Labour one at that, so not much hopes there.
I just hope the leaflet works for Dover; if it does, then all the last 3 to 4 months will have been worth it.
Roger
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
#8
Well done, Roger. Look forward to seeing the leaflet.
LD lines have been having a few problems with the French unions. Quite a lot of French seafarers will be looking for a job when the SeaFrance rationalisation is finally completed. They have been protesting over the fact that, although the Norman Arrow is registered in the UK and has a predominantly British crew, there are also a number of Portuguese employed. Imagine this is similar to Norfolkline, where a considerable percentage of the catering crew are Portuguese. SeaFrance crew staged a demonstration in Boulogne on Thursday morning but were unsuccessful in blocking off traffic to the Norman Arrow.
A word about the spelling of Cote d'Albatre as I have seen several attempted versions. Cote d'Albatre translates as Alabaster Coast and refers to the white chalk cliffs in Normandy between Le Havre and Dieppe. The sister ships Cote d'Albatre and Seven Sisters were built for Transmanche Ferries to run between Newhaven and Dieppe. The Seven Sisters is therefore correspondingly named for the white chalk cliffs to the east of Newhaven.
The coastline opposite Dover is the Cote d'Opale (Opal Coast) which runs from the Belgian border down to the mouth of the Somme. It seems appropriate that the Cote d'Albatre now runs from the white cliffs of Dover across towards the white cliffs of Cap Blanc-Nez and thence down past Cap Gris-Nez into Boulogne, with a daily round trip back to the white cliffs of the Alabaster Coast.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/france/730958/France--La-creme--de-la-mer.htmlAlec Sheldon
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 18 Aug 2008
- Posts: 1,037
#9
Well done Roger on getting your leaflet out, I agree with Jacqui, you should be made Mayor the next time around. I can see you know with the chain around your neck visiting Calais and Boulogne.
Thanks to Ed. for a very informative post as usual. You certainly have got your finger on the pulse Ed. in regard to the French unions. I guessed that there would be objections when I found out that the Norman Arrow was going to be British registered. I don't think that it is the British registery that gets up their nose but the fact that Portuguese are going to be employed. The French have always believed that the Channel traffic should be either British or French crewed.
P&O Ferries would have all foreign crews now if it was left to them. We have to thank the French for saving British jobs.
I spent many years on coasters and deep sea ships before coming to Dover to work on the ferries. The coasting trade has been decimated by the employment of foreign crews. I go to a web site called "Coasters Remembered" and they are just a memory. We still have coasters sailing around our coast under the British flag but with only the Captain being British the rest of the crews are usually East Europeans, Poles, Lithunians, Russian and Cape Verde.
Sorry to have gone off topic, this is supposed to be Rogers thread.
Ross Miller
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 17 Sep 2008
- Posts: 3,709
#10
Roger a very big well done - truly fantastic effort and good to see LD Lines supporting Dover as well
"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die today." - James Dean
"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength,
While loving someone deeply gives you courage" - Laozi
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#11
Thanks Guys.
The information on that link Ed is a bit out of date, as it mentions Folkestone to Boulogne and crossing by Hoverspeed, but the descriptions of the beaches etc. was very useful.
Look forward to the launch on Monday and hope the leaflet is well received and does indeed encourage the French people to come to Dover - then it will be up to us (the businesses - the historic sites and attractions, shops, pubs cafe's restaurants and the hotels and guest houses etc.) to make sure they enjoy their stay and will come back again - and again.
Roger
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
#12
Well Done Roger, your perseverance has to be congratulated, LD Lines accept the importance of supporting the local community and indeed on Doverforum.
Guest 673- Registered: 16 Jun 2008
- Posts: 1,388
#13
Yes indeed, Rog. I put the link on for the info about the beaches but it is dated 2004 so the related transport stuff is no longer relevant. I wonder how many of the general public get misled by old articles on the internet? Rather a lot, I suspect.
I am really enthusiastic about your leaflet. I can't see any reason for Norfolkline to turn it down but, if they do, I can certainly see to it that they get displayed on my ship, the Maersk Dover.
Incidentally, we always have the Dover Express and the Dover Mercury on sale in the shop. It is fairly unusual to find the local Dover rags on sale on the ferries, which I find inexplicable as is it just the sort of thing tourists heading for Dover need to have. I personally never like to miss my copies of the local papers and, on previous ships, have frequently had to pop ashore to the Welcome Break to purchase them.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#14
Thanks Barry and Ed.
If you email me Ed. with your house number at Viccy Park, I'll drop some off to you so you can see them.
It's the launch of the Norman Arrow tomorrow, so hope the media put out some good news about the leaflet too.
When I've sent out all the invoices and receieved all the payments, then I'll ask the businesses if they would like to be included in the next leaflet - the translations have been done as well as the artwork of course, so may even be cheaper that this one.
Roger
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#15
absolutely top class roger.
attractive, eye catching and informative.
if that does not make people inquisitive about dover nothing will.
how did you get the 2 big national stores to cough up?
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#16
Thanks Howard
There's 4 Nationals there - Boots, M & S, Dorothy Perkins and JJB Sports, but I guess you mean M & S and Boots ?
I went and spoke to them about it and what I wanted it and me, to do for Dover.
The fairly low cost also played a part I'm sure.
I had one National chain turn it down and one independant - the National said they would have been happy to come into the leaflet for free, but they don't do paid-for advertising/promotion !
The local independant said that all the businesses were crap and he didn't want to be associated with them.
Roger
Guest 684- Registered: 26 Feb 2009
- Posts: 635
#17
Hi Roger,
Had a drink with Nick on Saturday and he showed me the 'Discover Douvres' leaflet. Really good stuff. At least someone's doing something positive and proactive to cast Dover in a good light and get the old place off its knees. Bring it on!
Just one small criticism among the advertisers in the leaflet: I do hope no Boulonnais tourists actually find the Charlton Centre - it's a local, national and potentially international embarrassment.
Nice work again Roger...if I can help in any way in the future just ask.
Regards,
Andy
Guest 645- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,463
#18
Roger
I echo the sentiments expressed above.I am looking forward to doing a day trip on the LD Lines upon my next visit to Dover.
A day trip as a foot passenger from Jersey to St Malo which takes about an hour is £28 return.I wonder how this compares going as a footie to Boulogne on the Norman(one in the eye for P&O) Arrow.
Marek
I think therefore I am (not a Tory supporter)
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
#19
i am fairly certain that it is 16 quid return marek.
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
#20
I'm not sure of the actual cost but it can be found on the website. If you enter the date you want to travel (it may be different prices depending on when you want to go and how full the ship is at the time of booking- don't forget footies aren't allowed on all sailings.
Monday was the launch of the service (although it actually started the week before). I was surprised at how few Dover people were there - no one from tourism, no one from the Hoteliers sector; Graham Tutthill from the Mercury was there, as was Terry Sutton, but I'm not sure what capacity Terry was there, he said not from the Express.
The senior guys at DHB were there. Speeches were made by LD Lines senior personnel and the head of Boulogne Chamber of Commerce - it would have been good if the new Chief Exec. of Dover Chamber could have been invited and asked to welcome people to Dover.
The Norman Arrow is a big spacious light and airy craft, very comfortable and although the sea wasn't rough on Monday, it was a very smooth crossing and with the shape of the hull, you felt it would cut through the waves very well and not be buffeted by them.
I won't go into the food and drink that was served, other than to say is was very, very good.
There is a small "duty-free" shop, but they are not making a feature of on-board sales; there's a comprehensive cafeteria and many seats are similar to an airfraft (with a drop-down tray) - but with more leg room.
The two loading decks are huge and cavenous, obviously much bigger on the lorry deck than the car one.
An enjoyable day really, but a shame there weren't more people from Dover there to recommend to other local people that they choose LD Lines and Boulogne.
I went and spoke to some French people and gave them the leaflet, to which they made very positive comments. I saw many people picking it up and reading it, so hopefully, when they can, they'll come over to see us.
Well done LD Lines and Good Luck.
Roger