Harry Styles: Volunteers wanted to guide fans on Holmes Chapel trail (2024)

The Cheshire village where Harry Styles grew up has called for volunteers to act as guides for the thousands of his fans that now visit it each year.

So-called "Harries" view Holmes Chapel as a must-see destination as it was where he lived before he found fame.

The Holmes Chapel Partnership created a Harry Styles trail, but want guides to take people round to improve safety.

It said volunteers needed to be over 16, have good Harry knowledge and be able to treat people with kindness.

The not-for-profit organisation said more than 5,000 fans visited Holmes Chapel in 2023, a figure which almost equalled the village's population of 6,700, and all had taken in the Styles-related attractions pinpointed on its free maps.

Those included the 180-year-old Twemlow Viaduct where the singer was said to have had his first kiss; Fortune City, the Chinese restaurant where he took fellow superstar Taylor Swift on a date; and W Mandeville bakery, where he was working part-time when he first auditioned for The X Factor.

However, the group's chairman Peter Whiers said while they loved the "enthusiasm people have for Harry" and were "very proud to welcome visitors to Holmes Chapel", it was a fine line balancing excitable fans and the reality of a "historic village that dates from the 1400s".

"We have been campaigning for many years... to make footpaths here wider and crossings safer for pedestrians," he said.

"Sadly, nothing has been improved, so this year we are taking a new route to keeping visitors safe by hosting guided tours to popular Harry locations," he said.

He said the organisation were "particularly interested in recruiting Harry Styles fans aged 16+, but more senior individuals may also apply".

However, he added that the star's global fame meant some of those who had already offered their services might not be suitable.

"We've had had more than 100 applications and that includes ones from Argentina and Australia, so we would like a few more local ones," he said.

The two-and-a half hours tours will run on Saturday mornings in June and on weekday mornings from July to September.

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