THE Remember Blue Town Group has big plans for the future of Sheppey’s tourist industry.

At the back of Blue Town Kitchens, in High Street, Blue Town, Jenny Hurkett has set up a heritage centre which has a huge amount of photos and historic artefacts noting the Island’s history.

Jenny’s long-term vision is that the Island will become a thriving tourist destination by 2012 to tie in with the Olympics – so people from all over the world who are in the country to watch, may visit Sheppey.

The heritage centre, which is where the Criterion Music Hall used to be, is now recognised as an official Tourist Information Centre and part of the plan is to recreate it with the stage and a cinema screen.

This year, as well as the heritage centre, the Remember Blue Town Group has managed to secure a cruise ship.

Jenny said: “A German cruise ship, the Albatross, is coming on August 18 and we need to be prepared for the tourists – shops need to be prepared with Euros, and the beaches need to be clean. If we can make Sheppey appealing to tourists, we could get four cruise ships a year.”

Some of Jenny’s plans include a festival for the 50 year anniversary of the docks closing, an anchor museum, a campaign for a Sheppey leaflet and under water footage of the Montgomery.

Jenny added: “We are unique – if all this history was anywhere else in England it would be a thriving tourist place.

“I want to put us back on the map, back where we need to be because I’m passionate about the Island but there needs to be a reason for people to come here.

“I don’t want my grandchildren growing up in a place we don’t feel proud of.”

On Wednesday July 16 there will be an official ceremony for the heritage centre when it will be opened by Times Guardian editor Matt Ramsden.

Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday there are afternoon teas where people can come along and enjoy showing of historic films.

If you have any pieces of Island history, particularly maritime, military or social history of Blue Town, that you think Jenny would be interested in displaying at the centre, please phone her on 01795 662944.