A group of Ringwood travel agents have organised a fundraising coach trip which took more than 50 customers to see the virtual ABBA concert in London.

The trip organised by the team at Hays Travel on Southampton Road in Ringwood, raised a whopping £2,038 for The Brain Tumour Charity, the world’s leading brain tumour charity and the largest dedicated funder of research into brain tumours globally.

Travel consultant Lauren Abley’s husband tragically died from a brain tumour last year.

She said: "I am so pleased that we have been able to raise some much-needed funds for The Brain Tumour Charity. 

“Having first-hand experience of how this devastating illness can tear a family apart, anything we can do to raise awareness and money for research is very much appreciated. 

“It was a fantastic day out and shows what is possible when you work together as a team."

Hays Travel Ringwood branch manager, Joanne Valinski, said: “Everyone got in to the spirit with feather boas, sequins, groovy glasses and knee-high boots all in abundance!  And the coach driver helped to get things started with an ABBA playlist!”

There was also ‘Take a Chance’ bingo, a raffle, drinks and snacks onboard to entertain and raise money on route to the ABBA Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

ABBA Voyage features virtual avatars depicting the group as they appeared in 1979 and uses original vocals accompanied by a 10-piece live instrumental band on stage.

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.