Chester Zoo: An unforgettable day out

Chester Zoo has enjoyed an eventful year, from leading an international study into heart disease among great apes and hosting a summit of representatives from the UK’s top tourist attractions to unveiling its £30 million Islands development - a unique conservation expedition, which is expected to open for Easter 2015.

On 17th May, The Queen, accompanied by The Duke of Edinburgh, officially opened the gates to the Diamond Jubilee Quarter – a new entrance to the zoo. Long-standing members and other community partners were invited to watch while excited crowds lined the opening. The royal couple took a ride on the attraction’s monorail before Her Majesty had a face to face encounter with the Rhinos.

As if that wasn’t exciting enough, the management of LDS Tourism Services visited the zoo earlier this month as an end of season treat. A splendid time was had by all: the highlights being the Fruit Bat Forest, Aviary and Meerkats. But there was so much to see (did I mention the new baby Giraffe?) that it was unanimously decided that another visit will be necessary.

A great big thank-you to Chester Zoo for a fabulous day out!

 

 

Image: Chester Zoo, © LDS Tourism Services Ltd 2012

Display your leaflets in Waitrose

We are delighted to announce that LDS Tourism Services is to supply Waitrose stores with complementary literature stands.

Our partner company in South Wales has negotiated an exclusive contract to display printed materials in Waitrose outlets throughout the UK. We will be responsible for selling and restocking pockets within our usual service area.

There are stores throughout England, Scotland and Wales, but over the next five years, the retailer plans to open at least ten new shops in the North West. The company aims to spend £100 million on new sites throughout the region, including a second Chester branch at Boughton Retail Centre. Much to the delight of Anglesey residents, a new Waitrose store also opened in Menai Bridge last March, taking over the old Co-Op premises. 

Since Wallace Waite, Arthur Rose and David Taylor opened their first small grocery shop at 263 Acton Hill, West London in 1904, Waitrose has become one of the UK’s leading food retailers – combining the convenience of a supermarket with the expertise and service of a specialist shop. 

Our stands will contain literature on community based events, sports, arts, theatre and tourism. The artwork on the holder will incorporate Waitrose’s logo alongside our own (or that of the local distribution company – depending on the area). However, no third party unauthorized literature will be allowed, so please contact us if you would like your promotional print displayed in any local or national Waitrose store.

LDS Tourism Services celebrate 20 years in business

We are looking forward to celebrating our 20th anniversary on 1st February 2012.

Specialising in the distribution and display of leaflets and brochures produced by the local tourism and leisure industries, LDS Tourism Services’ familiar swift logo can be seen in visitor attractions, hotels, restaurants, pubs, retail outlets and an assortment of busy establishments throughout North Wales and the North West. Our selection of wall holders, turnarounds and free-standing dispensers are known as Visitor Information Points (VIPs for short) and have become invaluable focal-points for holidaymakers and locals alike.

Diana Bardell-Hedley and I set up a small office in a spare room in 1992, with only a second-hand Post Office van and an Amstrad computer to carry out our work. We gradually built up a reputation for innovation, hard work and reliability, and with it came clients - both large and small- from around the region (nationally, too).

These days the Company has its headquarters in Chester, as well as offices in Wrexham and Llandudno – not to mention a number of sub-depots for storing literature. Our uniformed staff and modern fleet of vehicles can be seen dashing about the region on a daily basis, delivering a range of printed materials.

Diana, now the Managing Director of LDSTS, says: “My late father owned Vince’s Fishing Tackle shop on Lower Bridge Street for many years. He was a larger than life character with a regular column in the Evening Leader and was a very well known face about Town. So it seemed only fitting we should base LDS Tourism Services’ head office in Chester.

“Although we started the business during the financial downturn of the early ‘90s, we are now seeing small businesses struggle like never before and nobody is quite sure how long it will last. However, we are bending over backwards to help our clients.

“Having said that,” she continues, “British tourism seems to be bucking the trend in so many ways. People are becoming nostalgic for the old-fashioned British holidays of their childhoods and it’s noticeable that many caravan parks, B&Bs, traditional inns, barge companies and self catering establishments are positively flourishing.”

Like all businesses that hope to survive the financial crisis, we are fine-tuning our services to suit the times.

“For many years we paid extremely high rental fees to a selection of large national companies in order to have exclusive display rights on their premises,” says Diana. “But it has become apparent over the past couple of years that certain once busy outlets have slipped out of fashion and become quieter than the grave, with more staff than customers loitering about. Our clients, quite rightly, expect us to display their promotional materials in popular sites. Although we still pay rental to a number of major chains where the annual footfall is significant, we now put the emphasis on our Network Services and General Distribution. This allows us to keep our prices down.

“We supply tastefully designed leaflet holders free of charge to tourism operators, then service them on a regular basis, keeping the stands tidy and full of up-to-date information. In return, the outlet owners place our stands in prominent positions within their establishments. I suppose it's a sort of symbiotic relationship that works well for everyone concerned and benefits the local economy.”

LDS Tourism Services has successfully branched out into Social Media Marketing in the last couple of years and has several other exciting projects in the pipeline (watch this space). If you would like to know more about these and other services mentioned on the blog, please drop us a line at lds@ldsts.co.uk or visit our website at www.ldsts.co.uk. 

Image: © Roza / Dreamstime.com

Domestic tourism remains buoyant

No matter how gloomy the economic outlook may be for 2012, certain sectors of the British tourism industry show every sign of being in robust good health.

According to the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics, visitor spending in the UK reached an all time high in August (up 3% on last year). Following record levels in June and July, there was a 4% increase (£0.4 billion) in earnings - a total of £11.65 billion to that point.

What’s more, research by the World Travel Market showed that domestic tourism is likely to enjoy another bumper year in 2012. The government's austerity measures, a weak pound, the increased cost of flying and cuts in earnings are deterring travellers from taking overseas holidays. Brits are ‘staycationing’ like never before. Indeed, VisitEngland has revealed that 70% of the population are planning a domestic break next year.

Some fascinating research commissioned by laterooms.com showed that two-thirds of Brits found regular short getaways far less stressful than infrequent long holidays. It would seem that 86% prefer taking weekends away throughout the year; sixty-six percent say battery-recharging breaks every three months or so are necessary to bring down their stress levels and 80% say that a short break with family or friends relaxes them more than regular massages or luxury spa treatments (not great news for larger hotels but promising for visitor attractions).

Another couple of interesting statistics to emerge recently were: British consumers are going out to eat and drink 12% more than six months ago (Taste of the Nation survey) and the number of international visitors to the UK is on the rise (VisitBritain).

Closer to home

In October, Chester Zoo celebrated record membership figures, with over 38,500 people enjoying discount in its shops and cafes, unlimited entry and invitations to special events. The world-famous zoo hopes its membership will be increased still further by people looking for alterative gifts this Christmas.

Our clients have been busily collecting awards in recent months. At the Marketing Cheshire Annual Awards’ ceremony, which took place in West Cheshire College, Chester Zoo won both Large Visitor Attraction of the Year and Best Tourism Event of the Year for its Dinosaurs at Large exhibition. Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre picked up the award for best Small Visitor Attraction as well as being Highly Commended for its Live Music Event in the Best Tourism Event of the Year category. At the Lancashire and Blackpool Tourism Awards, WWT MartinMere Wetland Centre won Best Visitor Experience for its new canoe safari development and, Marketing Manager, Victoria Fellowes walked away with the Making a Difference award for her contribution to tourism in the region.

As you know, we love to publicise local success stories – especially when LDS Tourism Services has played a part in the proceedings. We are therefore delighted to report that a record turnout of 6,000 residents and locals attended this year’s Frodsham Christmas Festival. The town Mayor, Andrew Dawson, told Chester Chronicle that he had never before seen “so many people in Frodsham at one time, let alone all gathering to have fun!”

Finally, if anyone else would like to take advantage of our Special Christmas Deal at Sandbach Motorway Services, you’ll need to get your skates on. Contact us A.S.A.P. to discuss your requirements.

Image: © Chester Zoo,  2011

Tourist info point opens at Chester Station

Chester Railway Stations’s Visitor Information Point has finally opened to the public.

Managed and financed by Chester Services Partnership (CSP) – in conjunction with the Railway Heritage Trust – the new VIP provides travellers with a sheltered and visually pleasant area to browse tourist information and discover up and coming events.

As one of the founding members of CSP and the exclusive leaflet distribution company for the Partnership, LDSTS will henceforth service this site on a regular basis. You can see the latest pictures on Facebook or Flickr.

Chester Services Partnership now has a portfolio of five key sites, each with a substantial footfall – CTR alone welcomes 2 million visitors per annum. They are:

Ø  Broughton Shopping Park (8 million footfall p/a) 

Ø  Cheshire Oaks Visitor Information Centre (7 million footfall p/a) 

Ø  Chester Motorway Services (footfall estimated at 1.5 million p/a)

Ø  Chester Railway Station (2 million footfall p/a) 

Ø  Grosvenor Shopping Centre (opening shortly, 10 million footfall p/a)

If you would like your promotional print displayed in any one (or all) of these busy venues, please contact us for further details. 

Image: © LDS Tourism Services Limited 2011

Statistics show an improving tourism economy

After a couple of difficult years, the region’s tourist industry is showing definite signs of recovery. Business bosses have revealed that adventure tourism is set to bring 1,000 jobs to North Wales over the next five years, hotels in the Wirral are second on Hotels.com’s ‘most searched for’ list and, nationally, VisitBritain says the number of overseas visitors to Britain is rising.

A great many positive statistics have been published about our clients and service areas over the last couple of months. For instance: 

Ø  Over 32,500 people visited Tatton Park between 22^nd and 25^th April 2011, which is 30% up on the attraction’s previous Easter weekend. 

Ø  The Wirral’s visitor economy is worth over £250 million a year and has increased by a substantial 11% in the last five years. 

Ø  During the May Bank Holiday over 2,500 visitors flocked to the National Trust’s Erddig in Wrexham – double its figures for the same period in 2010. 

Ø  So popular has Liverpool become since it was European Capital of Culture in 2008 that a strategy document says its tourism industry is likely to be worth £2 billion and support 37,000 jobs by 2020. 

Other News

We can report that two long-standing clients of LDS Tourism Services (namely: Knowsley Safari Park and Blue Planet Aquarium) have been nominated to take part in Eden’s Top Wildlife Attraction 2011. Knowsley was the winner last year, so please take a few moments to register your details and cast your votes.

Cheshire Taste Café, which can be found in the recently re-refurbished Chester Visitor Centre, has created a lovely new website. Managed by the talented chef, Dave Mooney and his lovely fiancé, Jane Casson, the establishment has quickly gained a reputation for serving delicious locally sourced products. Weather permitting, diners can enjoy some of the best Cheshire beers, cheeses, ice creams and cakes on the terrace overlooking City’s famous Roman amphitheatre. The Visitor Centre is also home to Chester Box Office (which sells tickets for local attractions), Busybus, Chester Heritage Tours, a lovely Gift Shop and our very own TIP (Tourist Information Point). Please contact us if you would like your leaflets or brochures displayed in this popular venue. 

Finally, we would like to congratulate Merseytravel’s U-boat Story for being named as Small Visitor Attraction of the Year at the Mersey Partnership’s Annual Tourism Awards 2011.

Image: Liverpool Albert Dock @VisitBritain 2011

LDSTS Sign Deal With Chester Visitor Centre

Chester Visitor Centre and Café is to reopen under new management later this month and LDS Tourism Services will henceforth be officially (and exclusively) responsible for all tourist information displayed there.

The newly decorated building will be managed by ChesterBoat – a company well-known for running luxury cruises along the River Dee. On site there will be a new ‘Cheshire Taste’ café celebrating Cheshire food and drink - customers will be able to enjoy refreshments indoors and out – and a gift shop will be home to the new Chester Box Office, where tickets for visitor attractions will be sold.

The centre will be the new base for award-winning Chester Heritage Tours’ open-top sightseeing trips. Also located there will be award-winning Busybus Ltd, who offer a series of adventure excursions around the North West and North Wales.

Local and regional tourist information will be facilitated at Chester Visitor Centre and Café in partnership with ourselves, and the building will provide fully accessible toilets and baby changing facilities as part of Cheshire West and Chester Council’s Community Toilet Scheme.

We understand that 150,000 visitors used the facilities there previously, so we are very much looking forward to the official opening, which is scheduled for 9th April. However, you can stay up to date with the latest developments by following CVC&C on Twitter and Facebook.

If you would like to display leaflets, brochures, magazines, posters or other printed materials there, please contact us to discuss your requirements.

Image: Chester Visitor Centre, © LDS Tourism Services Ltd.

Stampede Expected Through Chester

Chester is without doubt one of the best places to be this summer.

Earlier today we took delivery of the Rhino Mania trail guides – an exciting and colourful art exhibition happening in the City from 5th July to 12th September.

To join in the fun you should grab a map and go in search of 62 uniquely decorated rhino sculptures positioned in and around Chester. The enormous fiberglass animals have all been individually named and hand-painted by top artists - so they should be easy to find - and there will be an additional 120 mini rhinos dotted around the trail created by local school children.

Rhinos are one of the most endangered creatures on earth, so in addition to celebrating the City’s cultural identity the event will raise money for the Black Rhino Field Conservation Project in Kenya and Tanzania. Official Rhino Mania merchandise, including a souvenir guide and six ceramic rhinos, will be available from Chester Zoo, Chester Tourist Information Centre and Browns of Chester – Debenhams.

And that’s not all…

Diana and I went along with other family members to Ladies Evening at Chester Races last Friday. We had a marvellous time in the glorious sunshine and twice backed a winning horse, which more than covered our costs for the evening. There are a number of forthcoming events to look forward to at the Racetrack, such as Ladies and Gents Evening on 9th July and Family Funday on 1st August. I thoroughly recommend you go along for the experience and to have a little flutter on the gee gees.

Over the coming weeks you should also look out for Chester’s Summer Music Festival (30th June – 14th July), Cholmondeley Castle’s Pageant of Power (17-18th July) and Tatton Park’s Picnic Concerts (31st July).

To find out about these and oodles of other events taking place in the region throughout July, pick up the latest issue of What’s On in Chester & Cheshire, which is appearing in hotels, tourist attractions, camp sites, pubs, restaurants, TICs and LDSTS TIPs as you read this article.

 

Image: Chester Races, © Visit Chester & Cheshire

Braced For The Easter Rush

Where has January gone? Soon it will be ‘silly season’ (the frenzied run up to Easter) for LDS Tourism Services and we will be dashing from one TIP to another, distributing all the last minute brochures and leaflets. Believe it or not, literature continues to arrive at our warehouse right up to Good Friday - but we always do our upmost to get the best coverage possible in whatever time remains.

We were delighted to read on the TravelMole website that British Airways and EasyJet are to offer low cost flights from twelve European countries to 10 UK cities as part of a tourism drive by VisitBritain - among them Liverpool and Manchester. The promotion follows last year’s 'See More Britain For Less' campaign, which highlighted the affordability of travel to the UK. Apparently, the latest campaign is “based around contrasting themes” of the chosen cities “with information on traditional and contemporary experiences with a twist”. The campaign’s micro-sites can be accessed via visitbritain.com

If you have five minutes to spare, it is also well worth checking out the Why We Love Britain page on WinkBall. Reporters have been dispatched to find out what “one thing” people love most about being in Britain. You can see their answers and add your own video messages too, but please ensure you have javascript enabled and flash installed first.

Visit Chester and Cheshire (VCC), the tourism management organisation for Cheshire and Warrington, held an ‘At Home’ event in their offices above Chester Railway Station on 21st January. Diana, Jenny and Hayley went along to the informal gathering to catch up with long-standing associates, meet others involved in the local tourist industry and chat with the team about their plans for the future. The evening was extremely successful, with plenty of networking opportunities and an abundance of Moët and delicious nibbles laid on. A big thank you to all at VCC from the managers at LDSTS for a very pleasant evening.

Jenny and Hayley will also be attending the Success Through People day at Haydock Park Racecourse on 4th February. Be sure to say “hello” if you bump into them.

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Image: VCC offices, Chester © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2010

Deck the Stands with Lots of Leaflets

December is always a busy month for the LDSTS management team, but it does at least present us with endless opportunities to mix business with pleasure. Now the Christmas cards have been mailed out to clients, copious contracts signed and new projects initiated, we are having great fun attending festive networking events and industry get-togethers. There have been several recent highlights and no doubt there will be plenty more before the close of 2009.

Diana and I had a scrumptious meal at Helsby Arms on 4th December. Renowned for its real food and ale, not to mention regular Tweetups (gatherings of people who use Twitter), this lovely, traditional old pub is host to one of our Tourist Information Points (TIPs). During our visit we were able to spend time chatting with co-owner, Carole Currie - a friendly, bubbly lady, with tons of innovative ideas - and tuck into a Famous Helsby Arms steak, Guinness and mushroom pie served with hand cut rustic chips from a menu choc-full of mouthwatering dishes. Wonderful stuff!

I was also able to take my mum along to the first day of the Continental Christmas Market in Chester City centre on 5th December. Attractive wooden chalets had been erected outside the TIC on Town Hall Square, within which were displayed an assortment of European trinkets, clothes, foods, wines and beers. I purchased a long, multi-coloured woollen scarf from a lively market trader before we escaped the crowds and made our way over to the picturesque village of Dodleston for lunch at The Red Lion, an 18th century inn on the Cheshire/North Wales border – which, incidentally, is another TIP host. We always make a point of supporting those who support LDS.

Jenny, Hayley and Diana popped into The Mersey Partnership’s Christmas Members’ Meeting at the Palm Sugar Lounge inside the Chaophray (a Thai fine dining restaurant) on the 8th. They thoroughly enjoyed the evening – especially the delicious nibbles and free drinks – and were extremely impressed with the bird’s eye view of the City and the 60-metre high Liverpool ONE Wheel. They returned clutching tickets (kindly supplied by the organisers) for rides on the 40-gondola wheel. Watch this space to discover what they thought of the experience.

Next year promises to be another exciting twelve months for LDSTS and clients. Be sure to look out for us at the Great Days Out Fair at Bolton Arena on 13th February 2010. Diana and Hayley will be manning the Cadw stand and Jenny and I will be there representing the Company.

If you have any questions, queries or comments regarding leaflet distribution, social media marketing or anything else relating to LDS Tourism Services, please feel free to drop us a line or ring up for a chat.

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Image: Liverpool ONE Wheel © LDS Tourism Services Ltd, 2009

Planning For The Year Ahead

If you get a few quiet minutes during the day, we would suggest you visit our good friends over at the Directory of Chester. The website, which lists businesses and services available to both residents and visitors, is chock full of fascinating features, useful details regarding things happening in and around the City and a wealth of valuable information about where to eat, sleep and shop. Recent articles in their blog include: Looking for the Perfect Christmas Weekend Break? and Christmas and New Year is all wrapped up at the Helsby Arms, Frodsham, Cheshire. Why not head over there right away and make the most of the festive season by listing your business?

We are as busy as ever at the Border Distribution Centre, with winter brochures filling our vans and 2010 leaflets arriving for the anticipated spring scramble.

A brief reminder to existing clients and anyone else intending to use LDS Tourism Services for leaflet distribution next year: the crucial word is ‘early’! The sooner we receive your promotional print, the better spread you will have in time for Easter!

We wish you all a thoroughly spooky and profitable Halloween.

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LDS Tourism Continue to Lead the Way

As usual, we are working flat-out through the school holidays. We will shortly be adding the Grosvenor Shopping Centre (Chester) and the New Mersey Shopping Park (Speke) to our collection of exclusive sites. There is also another exciting contract in the pipeline, which we hope to reveal very soon.

Over the past twelve months, we have been listening closely to our client’s comments and suggestions regarding the types of display sites they prefer. In addition to this, we have been monitoring the effects the recession has had on the leaflet pick-up rate in different types of outlets.

As regular readers of this blog will know, the economic downturn has made an enormous difference to the public’s leisure time and there has been a distinct swing towards short-breaks and nostalgic holidays in the UK. In many ways, this has been a positive development for local businesses and we have been delighted to see an increase in demand for promotional leaflets in caravan parks, smaller hotels, self-catering establishments, pubs, shopping parks, tourist attractions etc. Equally, some of our once busiest locations (particularly those frequented by business travellers) have become very quiet indeed. Obviously, it’s all ‘swings and roundabouts’, to coin a somewhat overused expression, but we are intending to make a few changes for 2010.

We have decided to drop the poorly performing outlets at the end of this summer in favour of more popular sites. We have already increased our collection of Premier Network’s quite significantly over the past few months and, in addition to this, you can expect to see our holders appearing in several unexpected places over the autumn and winter.

On another matter entirely, all you tweeters can now follow LDS Tourism Services on Twitter at twitter.com/LDSTS and the Brochure Marketing group at twitter.com/brochuregroup.

Please feel free to drop us a line if you have any queries, comments or suggestions.

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A Hectic Autumn for LDS Tourism Services

We are delighted to announce that we’ve become official members of Visit Chester and Cheshire (VCC), the official tourism management organisation for Chester and Cheshire. Set up in 2004, it is one of five tourism boards in the North West and is funded and supported by the North West Regional Development Agency, seven local authorities and over 400 private sector tourism stakeholders in the county. We are very much looking forward to working alongside our new friends and partners to help build and improve the local tourism industry.

There are currently 282 members of our Brochure Marketing group at LinkedIn. Following recent improvements, it is now possible for them to take part in Discussions (recent topics include next month’s World Travel Market Excel show in London and flash based web2print solutions); follow group Updates and look at the profiles of fellow Members. If you have a professional interest in promotional print, please feel free to join.

Autumn may be in full swing but we continue to receive a steady stream of leaflets for distribution. Many Christmas brochures are now on display in popular establishments throughout our service area and we are busy talking to both new and existing customers, planning fresh marketing campaigns and signing contracts for exclusive display rights. Be sure to visit this blog regularly for exciting announcements!

LDS Tourism Join Midnight Stroll For Charity

Some of the LDSTS office staff went on a ladies only Starlight Stroll through Chester at the weekend to help raise money for the Hospice of the Good Shepherd. The six mile sponsored walk, which commenced at midnight, started and finished at Chester Racecourse, taking in many fascinating parts of the old City centre and famous Walls.

The girls completed the route in two hours, twenty minutes, then sat down to enjoy a well earned bacon butty and hot drink after collecting their finishing medals.

Award For Blue Planet Aquarium

We were delighted to learn that one of our long-standing clients, Blue Planet Aquarium in Ellesmere Port, was recently presented with the much prized Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Service accreditation.

The VAQAS (as it is better known) is a consumer-focused scheme that was first created by VisitBritain and is supported in our service area by Visit Chester & Cheshire - another valued client of LDSTS - to recognise British attractions which give visitors the highest quality experience. Each attraction is assessed by a sort of mystery shopper-type inspector and have their accreditations reviewed annually.

A collective pat on the back goes out from everyone at LDSTS to the management and staff at Blue Planet Aquarium!

Contracts, Cadw & Christmas

We have just this week renewed our contract with Charnock Richard Welcome Break Services on the M6 (north and southbound) for exclusive rights to display our client's literature in their foyers. We will be installing a brand new holder on the north side (heading into our area) – specifically designed for this site – which will also have space for posters and A4 brochures.

Look out for us if you attend the Holiday and Travel Show at Manchester Central (formerly the G-MEX) on 11th-13th January 2008. With over 800 exhibitors, representing more than 100 countries from around the world, the Show is expected to attract even greater numbers than usual. You will find either Diana or Paula on the Cadw stand throughout the event, so please do pop over and have a natter with them if you are passing.

We are currently distributing the council's new Christmas in Chester leaflet in and around the city. Inside you will find listings of all the late night opening hours, plenty of suggestions for events to attend during the festive season and a useful map. Be sure to pick one up on your travels.

Bloomin’ Marvellous!

Chester has been named as the region’s ‘best’ in the prestigious North West in Bloom Awards.

Beating off close competition from Wigan (which was named as Best Improved entry), the city impressed the judges with the quality of its new landscaping schemes, clean streets and community involvement. In addition to this impressive accolade, Chester Zoo also received a visit after winning the Chester in Bloom trophy for the second year on the run.

It would seem that the zoo can’t put a foot (or should we say "paw"?) wrong at the moment!

A Busy Season For All

We are furiously busy at the moment, as ever more Christmas leaflets arrive at our warehouse for "immediate" distribution. Because Easter is so early next year, there are already lots of 2008 brochures appearing. Not that we're complaining, it means that we can get a good coverage for everyone before the 'silly season' (distributor talk for early spring) begins.

We also have a range of smart new brochure holders (see the above picture of a mahogany free-standing dispenser in The Quay Hotel, Deganwy), which we are frantically installing in prime sites throughout the region. Please let us know if you have any suggestions for possible host sites - or indeed, if you would like to host one in your own establishment.

Things just keep on getting better for Chester Zoo. According to the Chester & District Standard, the attraction has now "broken all records with the highest number of visitors in its 73-year history" with the number of people through the gates reaching 1,097,000! That's quite incredible when you consider there are over two months to go before the end of the year!

We can also reveal that we have signed an exclusive contract with Roadchef to display our leaflets in Sandbach Motorway Services M6 (Northbound and Southbound) - so look out for our holders appearing in these extremely busy sites.

Record Year For Chester Zoo

We always like to hear that our clients are doing well, so you can imagine how pleased we were to discover that Chester Zoo is having a record breaking year!

Apparently, more than 1,068,000 people have passed through their gates so far - the same figure as visited the zoo in the whole of 2006. The popular attraction now fully expects to pass the 1.1 million visitor mark before the year is out.

We don't wish to be accused of blowing our own trumpet, but we're positive that the hundreds of thousands of leaflets we distributed for them this year must have played a part in the zoos success.

Visit Chester & Cheshire

The team arrived early this morning, bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to start delivering the September issue of the Welcome to Chester & Cheshire brochure for Chester City Council.

At 9.30am, the printers pulled up outside our warehouse, which gave us just one day to deliver about 18,000 glossy brochures to a range of hotels, guest houses and other hand-picked establishments. We were already running a day late because they hadn't got them to us on time, so it was all hands to the deck.

LDS vans could be seen zooming hither and thither through the historic streets of Chester and along winding country lanes as far as Nantwich. Just to make our job a bit more interesting, Chester Racecourse was hosting its August Festival and the roads were choc-a-bloc with traffic and clusters of elegant ladies in extraordinary hats.

Nevertheless, by 5pm, we had almost done and it was time to breathe a collective sigh of relief. That is, until next month when the same thing happens all over again!