The childhood journey which turned into the trip of a lifetime for a Ryhope girl

Andrea and her family got to visit Denmark thanks to a trip organised by the newspaper and DFDS Danish Seaways.

Time of their lives

It was part of a campaign at the time called Go With The Echo. Remember it?

The Dailey family had the times of their lives and it was all thanks to Andrea who was eight at the time and decided to write to the Echo.

She remembered how she had been to Denmark once before but she had been only 10-weeks-old and would have loved to make a return trip.

The paper was happy to oblige, but it was not just Andrea who got to head overseas. So did her dad Tom, mam Catherine and five-year-old brother Stuart.

All on their wedding anniversary

And it turned into a very special occasion as mum and dad were celebrating their wedding anniversary as well as Mr Dailey’s birthday.

The whole idea of the trip was for the Daileys to visit the country where their pal Rita Simick lived.

Mrs Simick previously lived in Thorney Close and both she and Mrs Dailey had worked at the Brian Mills site.

Then Rita married and moved to Denmark in 1965 when her husband took up employment there, and the Daileys had made a previous trip to see her.

Andrea knew that she had been to Denmark when she was a mere 10-weeks-old, but she did not remember the ship, the sea crossing or arriving in Denmark.

Cheese, rolls, bacon and scrambled eggs

So she wrote to the Go With The Echo campaign to see if her dream could come true. And it did.

The journey to Denmark included enjoying a typical Danish fare for breakfast of rye bread, cheese, rolls, bacon, scrambled egg, cereal and strong coffee.

It also included a chance for Stuart and Andrea to enjoy the playroom on the ship, as well as a spot of dancing at the disco.

After breakfast, there was an extra treat for the family who got to see the bridge and were introduced to the ship’s captain, Hans Bode.

Back home through strong winds at sea

Andrea and Stuart were both allowed to hold the ship’s wheel as the vessel made its steady way towards Esbjerg on the west coast of Jutland.

The Daileys took in a museum, and had a chat with Mrs Simick – albeit only on the phone as she lived too far north to make the journey.

Then after visiting the shops and buying some presents, it was time for the 19-hour trip home, and this time the journey was far from straightforward with strong winds making it an interesting voyage.

Prices were steep in Denmark

Mr Dailey, who worked for Sunderland Borough’s Highways department, said at the time: “Esbjerg was very clean and the shopkeepers were very polite.”

But he said the family had found the prices in Denmark to be much steeper than back home.

Do you remember Go With The Echo and did you get to enjoy one of the experiences?

If you do, share those memories and get in touch by emailing [email protected]

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