11 hours ago
'Word is travelling fast!': Friends unite to bring travel back to their high street and continue town's revival
Jeff Ford-Foyne has been a children's entertainer for nearly three decades, but it was while working as a taxi driver he started thinking about opening a travel agency in the Flintshire town of Shotton.
He is one of four directors of Dee Travel, the others being his wife Steffannie and their friends Debbie and Allen Owen – who is currently refurbishing the shop with a view to opening in August.
Ford-Foyne told TTG he has already confirmed the agency's branding, business cards and letter heads, and is currently finalising Dee's uniforms. 'I've wanted to sell travel for a long time, probably since I started doing transfers to and from Manchester airport about three years,' he explained.
'I'm hungry for it. I kept thinking, 'there must be some good money to be made in this'. I've got the gift of the gab.'
The team behind Dee Travel, which is already trading online, have also taken over a greetings card shop across the road from the proposed travel agency branch. Each director holds an equal share in the two shops.
Ford-Foyce said Shotton Cards used to operate as Owen's Travel around 15 years ago – the last time the town had an agency. 'I originally wanted to check out the card shop because I knew it was up for grabs,' he explained.
'Debbie and Allen have taken over the running of the card shop – and now suddenly the card shop is making money. Shotton was going downhill, but we've just had a Post Office and a Lidl open."
Ford-Foyne said Dee Travel will primarily sell packages using Protected Trust Services' Atol. 'Word is travelling fast,' he said. '[Three-branch agency] Buckley Travel have sent a nice message, and people in Llandudno – around a 45-minute drive away – are aware a new travel agency is opening up in Shotton.
"We've known Debbie and Allen for 10 years since we moved to the area. We've done quite a lot with them – myself, Debbie and Allen were all school governors.'
