Visitors to get wonderful welcome

CAMERON BURNELL/Taranaki Daily News

WEEKEND WELCOMERS: Bell Block-Puketapu Lions ladies Gay Harvey, Shirley Benton and Jenny Clark have volunteered to welcome tourists to the province during Fleetwood Mac's concerts next month.

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Fleetwood Mac fans wondering where to go at New Plymouth airport next month will have the good ladies of the Bell Block-Puketapu Lions to help them out.

And if all goes well, the ladies will be on hand again to welcome rugby fans to the city's three 2011 rugby World Cup games.

The New Plymouth District Council is organising 200 volunteers to help the city cope with the expected 25,000 visitors for the December 19 and 20 Fleetwood Mac concerts at the TSB Bowl of Brooklands.

The scale of the volunteer mobilisation is a first for the city and has two objectives.

First, to smooth the experience visitors have of the city and secondly, as a dress rehearsal for the expected influx of tourists during the 2011 rugby World Cup.

Three games are to be played at Yarrow Stadium and it is hoped Ireland will base itself in the province for the duration of the tournament.

But before that is the Fleetwood Mac concert.

Bell Block-Puketapu Lions women's branch president Jenny Clark said, as a Lioness, she was used to meeting strangers, even famous ones, and was looking forward to her welcoming job at the airport.

"I saw Graham Mourie in the departure lounge at the Los Angeles airport and ended up talking to him for half an hour," she said.

Impressive as that may be, fellow Lioness Gay Harvey once bailed up much-loved British crooner Sir Cliff Richard outside the very airport she will soon be welcoming Fleetwood Mac fans in.

"They are only people aren't they," she laughed.

Of the 35 members of their pride, 14 have answered the call and volunteered.

Their manpower brings the total number of signed up volunteers to 80, well short of the 200 the council wants.

Council volunteer co-ordinator Moira Irving is hoping more will come on board in the next two weeks and although she cannot offer free tickets to the concerts, all volunteers will be given a thank you dinner on the Monday after the big weekend.

"It's not just welcoming and giving people directions. It's the unglamorous jobs like picking up rubbish after the concert as well, but it's such a great way to meet people and have fun," she said.

To make the volunteers roles more attractive Ms Irving said people could work as much or as little as they were able and jobs would be found for people of all ages.

As well as that each volunteer gets a red-and-black T-shirt and full training in their designated role.

Those interested in volunteering should contact Moira Irving on (06) 759 6060 or irvingm@npdc.govt.nz before December 4.

- © Fairfax NZ News