VisitGuernsey collaborates with media and influencers on Liberation Day

Central to the campaign was travel writer William Cook of The Telegraph, who explored the story of Guernsey’s German occupation through interviews with local historians and visits to key heritage sites. His in-depth article, published on Liberation Day to an audience of 23.5 million, cast a spotlight on Guernsey’s resilience and provided readers with a powerful look at the Occupation years, as well as the island’s traditions of remembrance and celebration. William’s piece was also syndicated across MSN and Yahoo! UK, capturing a further audience of over 8 million.

To reach broader audiences, VisitGuernsey also collaborated with three high-profile influencers with a strong affinity for history and travel. Jack Chesher (@livinglondonhistory), an Instagram creator and author, known for making the past accessible to younger audiences, produced short-form video content from sites including the German Underground Hospital, Castle Cornet, and the Occupation Museum. Jack’s video, which you can view here was pushed out to his 606k followers, and has already been liked by more than 3,200 people.

To compliment Jack’s content, and target a slightly older audience, we worked with Lucy Worsley (@lucy_worsley). Historian, BBC television presenter, author, and podcaster, Lucy is a well-known face across the UK and was on-island in early March to experience a personalised itinerary that focused on some of the highlights of Guernsey’s World War II history, including Pleinmont gun battery and La Valette Underground Military Museum. Lucy has more than 422,000 followers across multiple platforms.

Lastly, Megan McManus (@historywithmegs) who has a total of 136k followers, focuses on British and European history. To capture her audience, we developed an itinerary that focused on the Island’s forts and bunkers, as well as Castle Cornet, Hauteville House, the Little Chapel and the Renoir Walk. Megan also explored the heritage-themed walking routes on the VisitGuernsey app, and the three videos she created have already gathered a good amount of engagement. Both Lucy and Megan’s videos can be viewed on their Instagram pages linked above.

On Liberation Day itself, as the initial wave of content went live, we welcomed additional journalists to the island as part of our Liberation 80 campaign – a year-long celebration marking the 80^th celebration. Their visits will generate further coverage throughout the summer, extending the reach and impact of our historical storytelling. We’ll share that coverage with you, from Discover Britain, Country Life, The Sun, and War History Online, when it is published.