Travel agents abseil Belfast hotel to raise money for children’s heart disease charity

A group of Carrickfergus travel agents abseiled the iconic Europa Hotel in Belfast at the weekend.

Zayna Coomber, Megan Carlisle, and Claire Leader-McKay of Hays Travel braved the 120 foot abseil to raise money for the Children’s Heartbeat Trust.

So far, they have raised £545 for the charity which supports children and young people with heart disease in Northern Ireland.

Hays Travel apprentice, Zayna Coomber, said: “Before we did the abseil I was really nervous as I just didn’t know what to expect.

"The hardest part was going over the edge but then once I was over and got into the swing of things it was fine.” 

Travel consultant, Claire Leader-McKay, said: “It was scary but well worth it for such a worthwhile cause!”

Each Hays Travel branch is provided with a £500 budget to use for fundraising and charity work in their local area.

For the last few years, Hays Travel’s 24 branches in Northern Ireland have chosen to join forces and all fundraise for the same charity to make as much money as possible for one organisation. 

This year they are busy planning all sorts of events to raise as much as possible for the Children’s Heartbeat Trust.

Last year, the region chose the National Deaf Children’s Society and managed to raise a whopping £6,948, which was then match funded by the Hays Travel Foundation, resulting in a total donation of £13,896.

To donate to the Carrickfergus Hays Travel fundraiser, visit https://childrensheartbeattrust.enthuse.com/pf/haystravel-carrickfergus

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