Syston travel agents raise more than £1,200 for children’s hospice

A group of Syston travel agents have raised a whopping £1,225.50 for a local children’s hospice.

The team from Hays Travel on Melton Road organised a charity coach trip to Stratford-upon-Avon, as well as a raffle, children’s colouring contest and ‘guess the number of sweets in the jar’ competition in store. 

Syston Hays Travel branch manager, Kirsty McInnes, said: “We spent several months promoting the trip both in branch and on social media to ensure every seat was filled, and we're delighted to say that all 53 seats were sold.

“The trip took place on Sunday 6 September, and with beautiful weather and great company, everyone had a fantastic day.”

Rainbows Hospice for Children and Young People aims to brighten short lives by providing outstanding care and support to children, young people, and their families across the East Midlands. 

Kirsty said: “Back in April, my assistant manager, Nirali, and I were invited to visit Rainbows before we began our fundraising activities.

“It is truly an incredible place, offering respite and end-of-life care, alongside exceptional support for families.

“To say they have thought of everything would be an understatement.

“The hospice goes above and beyond to help families create precious memories with their children during the most challenging of times.

“Rainbows were also incredibly supportive throughout the campaign, providing us with a promotional stand, donation buckets, balloons, and a huge cuddly mascot, which helped generate even more interest and donations. 

“Overall, it was a truly fantastic fundraising campaign. We are incredibly proud to have raised such an amazing amount for Rainbows and have received wonderful feedback from customers who took part.”

Hays Travel is the UK’s largest independent travel agent, with branches across the UK – all committed to supporting their customers and the local communities they serve.

Each Hays Travel branch is provided with a £500 budget to use for fundraising and charity work in their local area; £200 of this is to be used to fundraise for charities which support young people’s mental health, and the other £300 can be used for charities chosen by the branch. 

In the last year, Hays Travel’s Local Community Partnership initiative across its retail network has donated almost £170,000 to local charities.