London Blue Badge guides celebrate International Tourist Guide Day on Saturday 19th February, by offering their expert services to the public for free. This year�s theme for ITG Day 2005 in London is Blue. Come along and enjoy a free tour with a professional Blue Badge Guide.

There will be a record number (about 30) of free walking tours of London, led by professional Blue Badge Guides, the experts on London.

Stroll through the Royal Parks, plod past the site of the first Scotland Yard, see where the Cabinet shuffles, ramble by Speaker�s corner, don�t run for Parliament but march with the Guards - all in the expert company of a far from pedestrian Blue Badge Guide.

There will also be two �DIY� walks entitled �London Footprints�. The two walks, �Behind the Facades� & �Watery Secrets� are ideal for those wishing to travel at their own pace; just turn up at the start point, Embankment tube, anytime between 10am & 4pm and collect a free route map. Blue Badge Guides will be posted at key points along the route to explain, entertain and answer any questions.

Transport for London are sponsoring these two walks as part of the Mayor�s vision to make London one of the most walking-friendly cities by 2015. There are six strategic walks across the capital that TfL is working with the London Boroughs to promote and complete. The DIY walks touch on two of them; Jubilee Walkway and Thames Path. Make sure you find out details of the rest of the Strategic Walks by going to: www.tfl.gov.uk/streets/walking/home.shtml

There will also be several charitable events for community groups and helpers. These events are not open to the general public.

For a full list of events or further information, contact: Simon Good - telephone 020 7267 5340 Eileen Cox - telephone 020 8444 7866 or by e-mail: ITGDay2005@hotmail.com

For further information, check out these websites: www.blue-badge-guides.com or www.aptg.org.uk

Information for editors:

International Tourist Guide Day - this year on 19th February - is an annual event, celebrated by some fifty professional tourist guide associations around the world. On ITG Day, residents and visitors are invited to experience the work of professional tourist guides - for free.

Blue Badge Guide WALKS & TOURS - 2005

Blue Badge guided walks and tours are all offered free on a �first come, first served� basis; total numbers at the discretion of the guide, normally no more than 25 per group. The theme of the walks - of course - is mostly �Blue�!

1. �Blues and Royals�.a walk around Whitehall area� Starting with the boys in blue, our policemen, and finishing at Buckingham Palace with the men in scarlet!

Start 10am: Westminster Tube, Whitehall exit (North side, by Treasury) nearest tube Westminster Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Trevor Phillips

2. �Blue Suede shoes�.Rock & Roll London� Discover part of London�s great musical tradition

Start 10.30am: Oxford Circus Tube exit 6 (Argyll St) nearest tube Oxford Circus Tour length: about 2 hours, ends Tottenham Court Road tube Blue Badge Guide: Glen Portch

3. �Picasso�s Blue period and beyond� a guided tour of International Art in the Tate Modern

Start 10.30am: South end of Millennium (�wobbly�) pedestrian bridge nearest tube Southwark Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Jon Blanchard

4. �Little Boy Blue� � City of London�s story with a little help from nursery rhymes From London Bridge to Mother Goose: real events, real people; find out more

Start 10.30am: Duke Street Hill exit of London Bridge tube nearest tube London Bridge Tour length: 2 hours, finishing at Bank Tube. Blue Badge Guide: Eileen Cox Please note this walk will include steps.

5. �from State Beds to the Crystal Palace�� Henry VIII�s writing case, Mary Queen of Scots embroidery �explore the fascinating British galleries of the Victoria & Albert Museum

Start 10.30am: by reception desk of V & A (main entrance � Cromwell Rd) nearest tube South Kensington Tour length: about 1 � hours Blue Badge Guide: Simone Mathews

6. �Blue Bloods, Clubs, Fops & Dandies� A walking tour of Mayfair, telling a tale of outrageous Regency rakes, fops & dandies (trend setters of the early 19th century and beyond), along with swishy clubs, modern day billionaires, and an odd Royal connection thrown in for good measure.

Start 10.30am: Green Park tube (North exit on corner, outside station. nearest tube Green Park Tour length: about 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Clarissa Fell

7. �American London ... from George Washington to Benjamin Franklin� Discover American connections in London

Start 10.45am: George Washington statue, outside National Gallery, Trafalgar Sq nearest tube Charing Cross / Leicester Square Tour length: 90 minutes; finish Charing Cross Blue Badge Guide: Rose Pockney

8. �You can bank on it �� Stocks, sex and scandal in the City. A fascinating walk through London�s financial heart

Start 11 am: Bank tube Cornhill exit (by Royal Exchange) nearest tube Bank Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Susan Sworn

9. �Votes for Women � the blue stocking revolt� Hunger strikes, protests, marches; find out more..

Start 11 am: Temple Tube (to be confirmed) nearest tube Temple Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Simon Rodway

10. �Exotic seasoning � a foodies� walk around Soho� Explore this fascinating part of London and finish just in time for lunch!

Start 11 am: Leicester Square entrance to Hippodrome nearest tube Leicester Square Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Kim Dewdney

11. "Roses are red, The Guide's Badge is blue..ish, Shlep through the East End you don't have to be Jewish!" From French Huguenots to Banglatown; the East End has been home to many different immigrant communities - explore this fascinating area of London

Start 11 am: Aldgate tube nearest tube Aldgate Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Russell Grant

12. �The Square Mile�the 2000 year old story of the City of London� Stroll around the historic streets and alleyways of the City, starting at the Monument to the Great Fire 1666, ending with the magnificent Guildhall

Start 11 am: Monument EXIT OF bank tube station nearest tube Monument (Circle & District line closures this weekend) Tour length: 90 minutes; finishes Guildhall Blue Badge Guide: Sue Jackson

13. �Stars and stripes ... Americans in Mayfair� Find out just how many have been �over here� in this beautiful area of London

Start 11 am: Green Park tube, ticket hall nearest tube Green Park Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Brian Jenkins

14. �In the footsteps of Charles Dickens� Nobody knew London quite like Charles Dickens; every evening he walked for miles through its streets and alleyways and along the Thames riverbank. Follow his trail.

Start 11 am: Holborn tube nearest tube Holborn Tour length: 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: Marielies Jackson

15. �War & Peace� Explore the Imperial War Museum, its galleries and the people who made a difference�.

Start 11 am: outside the museum nearest tube Lambeth North Tour length: 1 hour Blue Badge Guide: Sean Simpson

16. �Red blood, blue murder� Explore the historic Smithfield area and beyond; a meat market for around 1000 years and where martyrs and criminals were burnt and bodies stolen! Finish at Holborn Circus.

Start 11 am: Smithfield, outside St. Bartholomew�s Gate (entrance to church) nearest tube Barbican, Farringdon or St. Pauls Tour length: 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: Guy Pickford

17. �Pottery, Princes and Politics �.surprises south of the river� This walk shows the enormous variety and diversity to be found in London .

Start 1.30 pm: corner Lambeth Bridge and Albert Embankment nearest tube Vauxhall Tour length: 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: Liz du Parcq

18. �from State Beds to the Crystal Palace�� Henry VIII�s writing case, Mary Queen of Scots� embroidery�explore the fascinating British galleries of the Victoria & Albert Museum

Start 2.00 pm: by reception desk of Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Rd. nearest tube South Kensington Tour length: about 1 � hours Blue Badge Guide: Simone Mathews

19. �Bear baiting, brothels, theatres and breweries� Explore colourful Southwark, haunt of rogues & vagabonds since Shakespeare�s day

Start 2.00 pm: Duke Street Hill exit of London Bridge tube nearest tube London Bridge Tour length: about 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: John Ashton

20. �Stars and stripes ... Americans in Mayfair� Find out just how many have been �over here� � the last stop on the London Monopoly board!

Start 2.00 pm: Green Park tube, ticket hall nearest tube Green Park Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Brian Jenkins

21. �Blue collar�.from dockers to dot.com� Explore the ever-changing Canary Wharf area, finishing at fascinating new Museum of Docklands

Start 2.00 pm: Canary Wharf tube; Heron Quays West exit (Jubilee line) nearest tube Canary Wharf Tour length: 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: Rachel Kolsky

22. �Picasso�s Blue period and beyond� a guided tour of International Art in the Tate Modern

Start 2.00 pm: South end of Millennium (�wobbly�) bridge nearest tube Southwark Tour length: 1 � hours Blue Badge Guide: Jon Blanchard

23. �Behind Victoria�.the hidden corners of SW1� What lies behind the facades? Find out!

Start 2.00 pm: outside Apollo Victoria Theatre, Wilton Rd, SW1 nearest tube Victoria Tour length: 90 minutes; finish Buckingham Palace Blue Badge Guide: Tony Anderson

24. Soho � �that hallucinated enclave� Haunt of artists, actors, writers and free thinkers�..explore

Start 2.00 pm: outside Gielgud Theatre, Shaftesbury Avenue nearest tube Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square Tour length: 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: David Thompson

25. �Women in Westminster� From Queen Boudicca to our present Queen, see how women have influenced politics and history over 2000 years

Start 2.00 pm: Westminster tube station near the ticket office nearest tube Westminster Tour length: about 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Abigail Lawson

26. �Pomp and circumstance� Music and architecture in Imperial London � a walk from Covent Garden to Bond St.

Start 2.00 pm: Covent Garden tube nearest tube Covent Garden Tour length: 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: Nick Morrison

27. �Blue Suede shoes�. Rock & Roll London � Discover part of London�s great musical tradition

Start 2.30 pm: Oxford Circus Tube exit 6 (Argyll St) nearest tube Oxford Circus Tour length: 2 hours; finish Tottenham Court Road tube Blue Badge Guide: Glen Portch

28. �Blue Blood � the Mitfords in Mayfair� British are famed for their eccentricity �and none more so than the Mitfords!

Start 2.30 pm: Hyde Park Corner tube, just outside the ticket barriers nearest tube Hyde Park Corner Tour length: 2 hours Blue Badge Guide: Simon Rodway

29. �St James and its Blue Plaques� Blue Plaques can be seen on buildings all over London, commemorating famous residents. St. James has been an exclusive area since Henry VIII built a palace here nearly 500 years ago. Hear the stories!

Start 2.30 pm: St. James tube, Broadway exit nearest tube St. James/Westminster (TBC; Circle line may be closed) Tour length: 90 minutes Blue Badge Guide: Trudi Nielson-Kerr

There will be closures of part of the underground network over this weekend, 19 & 20 February. The entire Circle line will be closed. There will be no District line trains between Whitechapel & Earls Court, in either direction.

Queries or further information? Contact us at ITGDay2005@hotmail.com N.B. details of tours can change at the last minute, so please check updates on our website www.aptg.org.uk or www.blue-badge-guides.com

For last minute information on the day (Saturday 19th February 2005), please call: 020 7403 1115. This is only for inquiries on Sat 19 February.

Want to be e-mailed with updates? If you want to be automatically updated by e-mail, send us an e-mail to ITGDay2005@hotmail.com� saying �subscribe to ITG Day�. Your details will remain confidential and will not be passed on to any third parties.

Blue Badge Guides bring London�s past to life �Check out our websites:

Association of Professional Tourist Guides www.aptg.org.uk

Guild of Registered Tourist Guides www.blue-badge-guides.com