What connects the greatest cyclist of all time Eddie Merckx, chocolate, Rubens, beer and asparagus? Well, they all originate from Belgium. And 479 good folk from the City of Mechelen in the province of Antwerp said a huge “Hallo or Hoi!” (hello) to the people of Doncaster as they called in to visit our town on a day trip site-seeing tour last Saturday (21st February).
The 305 women and 174 gentlemen led by organiser JP Dickmeis arrived via a ferry connection through Hull then onward by coach to spend over 5 and 1/2 hours touring the Mansion House, the Minster of St. George, Doncaster’s’ famous Market and of course an impressive Frenchgate Shopping Centre.
Centre Manager, Mike Pugh said, “It was a real coup for us, as in the last two previous years they had visited the City of Lincoln, but on this occasion, thanks to the great work of Richard Young and his team at Invest In Doncaster Tourism Development, he managed to get them to choose us, so we could say a huge “Welkom!”
And I don’t think our guests were disappointed. Belgium, Flemish and Provincial Antwerp Flags were in abundance in our shop windows along with their local coat of arms. Photos of St. Rumbold’s Cathedral, Mechelen’s City Hall and the Grand Market Square were all on display to make them feel a little more comfortable away from home as well. Our extra special thanks go to Dazzle – it was the store to remind our visiting company of their history, personalities, architecture and the special produce they supply the world over. Like ourselves, judging by the reaction, I think it’s something we all take for granted as to how good we are when it comes to quality exports!”
Tracy Walton, Manager from Dazzle in the West Mall Gallery commented, “The girls and I wanted to show how much we appreciated the Belgium’s break in Doncaster by giving them a warm welcome and proof that our town is a great place to visit. She added, “Who knows they may come back and explore further to help keep our economy and tourism very buoyant when we need it most! I hope they indeed thought it a warm welkom!”