Association of Professional Tourist Guides

Our Tenth Anniversary

ON 9 FEBRUARY, 1989, the Association of Professional Tourist Guides was founded with 90 members. It has been very gratifying to see the steady growth in numbers of APTG's membership, which presently stands at 400, and yet still to feel that bond among members that was evident from the start.
At the founders' meeting on 9 February, eleven members were elected to office, with Monica Carney, Blue Badge Guide of long standing, as Chairman. Monica says:

"WE HAD A BAPTISM of fire - 2 days after our founders meeting came the news of the proposed change in the PSV coach regulations, which would allow drivers to use a microphone, of any kind, whilst the coach was moving. We immediately issued a press release, contacted Paul Channon (the then minister for transport) together with a number of MPs and various safety conscious bodies. MSF, via Doug Hoyle MP, arranged a meeting with Michael Portillo, then in the Dept. of Transport. The meeting lasted an hour and we had a very frank discussion with him (during which it came out that his mother used to be a Blue Badge Guide!). We made a video, showing how dangerous guiding drivers would be - this was produced and shown to Mr Portillo. On the same day, 26 April, we took our 2 news film crews - BBC and Thames Television - on a tour. We were featured on the Thames News at 17.55 that evening and again the next day, on BBC. Without doubt the efforts of APTG in so strongly opposing the proposed change in the law were a major factor in determining that the newly reworded text did NOT allow coach drivers to use hand held microphones.
"Defending our fees and working conditions was the very cornerstone of our existence, and within weeks of our first APTG meeting we were challenged to do just that by the Office of Fair Trading. MSF gave us all the necessary backup and as a result we were able, from our very first meeting in February 1989, to publish our guide fees. Much of our achievement is due to the superb service given to APTG by MSF.
"We are competing in a tough business world where quality and standards are not always appreciated as they should be. But there is no doubt that APTG has made its mark, and if we had not founded our branch ten years ago the status of the Blue Badge Guide would not be as well regarded as it is today and guiding would not attract young, ambitious and professional people wishing to make a career and a good living out of this profession. Let us be proud of our achievements and look to the next millennium!"