The world of heritage tourism is a small one. The National Trust and English Heritage look after hundreds of houses and thousands of acres of land.

I worked as part of a team with the National Trust for seven years, managing the visitor services operation in the Peak District.

In 1997 I moved to an historic house estate in Lincolnshire and spent the next 23 years ensuring the visitor opening operation ran successfully.

I had responsibility for all aspects of public access with the assistance of a small team of guides, caterers, retail and service staff.

I ran the website, all marketing, events, group visits the retail and catering areas, adhering to a budget which I set each year, reporting back to a Managing Agent and Board of Trustees.

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It is important to work with others in the visitor economy and in 2000 I started an informal cluster marketing group of local historic houses which soon became an independent company with a turnover of £100,000 working to promote visits to the local area. Alliances formed with other attractions to provide visitors with a comprehensive offer that included accommodation, ticket deals and discounts.

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As the only full-time member of the visitor service team my work brought me into contact with a variety of people including -

Event organisers     Historic House owners/managers     Retail suppliers     Marketers

Printers                    Catering suppliers/consultants          Group travel organisers

Performers               Local Authorities                                 National tourism bodies

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I am a believer in 'walking the walk' and spent time talking to visitors, finding out what they wanted from a day visit. I listened to others in the industry and worked with them to provide a product that would appeal to visitors. I now use my experience to help others who are involved in the visitor economy and can assist with most aspects of a visitor attraction.