Exeter taxi driver to launch Poetry Tours

An Exeter taxi driver is to launch his project ‘West country poetry tours’ in less than a week.  

Well-liked and admired Shane O’Sullivan, or better known as Jack the Hat, began the concept for this project just before Christmas. It aims to bring people over from America to experience the hidden gems of the West Country.

He said: “We are trying to get them to come and see some of the highlights which we believe are important and often overlooked by tourists.”

The website went out to the British tourist board in New York on Friday and hopes to be signed and completed very shortly.

“Once the final details are completed we will then go live and start to market this extensively through the ivy league universities in the United States.”

The tours will start in August of this year and run through to the end of September.

Spots include; Clouds Hill, former resident- T.E Lawrence; Exeter’s historic library and archive situated within its gothic cathedral; and Budleigh Salterton, home to writer dame Hilary Mantel and Sir John Everett Millais’ blue plaque.

Despite Shane being related to the oil tycoon and explorer Finnian O’Sullivan and internationally acclaimed equestrian artist, Katie O’Sullivan, he claims that the projects motivation is not profit and wishes to not make it cooperate.

Shane points to his customers when explaining how he came up with such a unique idea. He said: “I wanted to do something that involved a lot of people that have been in the taxi. And as I write poetry, that became my theme for it.”

Shane’s support network for this project has grown extensively, with scientists, doctors, students and a doorman involved. Nevertheless, the majority came from talks in the taxi.

With the project now six months down the line, bookings will commence in less than a week.

Every penny from Jack the Hat taxis has gone towards this project and it was Shane’s love of interacting with people that provoked it.

He finishes by saying: “We want this project to evolve into something very special and unique. We want people to want to come and speak and contribute to west country poetry tours and to enjoy it.”

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