A group of Sherborne travel agents have raised more than £500 for a local charity by hosting a ‘Quingo night’.

The event, organised by the team at Hays Travel and held at Westend Community Hall on Saturday night, was held in aid of The Rendezvous charity.

More than 50 guests were treated to a fun-filled evening that included a quiz and bingo, all to raise vital funds for a local charity.

The Rendezvous supports young people in North Dorset and South Somerset facing mental health challenges, learning difficulties, and barriers to education or employment.

It offers mentoring, counselling, and practical learning opportunities to help young people build confidence and achieve their goals.

Shannon Fleat, branch manager of Hays Travel in Sherborne, said: “We chose to support The Rendezvous because of the incredible difference they make in helping young people to reach their full potential. Their work has also had a personal impact on me.

“They supported me in gaining my maths qualification, which in turn allowed me to successfully complete my apprenticeship with Hays Travel.

"Supporting this charity felt like a meaningful way to give back to an organisation that changes lives, including my own.”

Fiona Franklin, of The Rendezvous, said: “The Hays Travel Sherborne team organised a superb ‘Quingo night’ on Saturday 4 October.

"It was a great experience with something for everyone. The team took it in turns to present through the night and keep the audience expertly engaged, the selection of prizes was fabulous, and it was evident a lot of hard work had gone into putting them together.

“As the community fundraiser for The Rendezvous, I am so grateful to Hays Travel Sherborne for choosing to support us again this year.

"The Rendezvous has been helping young people aged between 13 and 25 for the past 28 years with mental health and wellbeing support, learning in maths and English, leading to qualifications, employability skill projects, and nurture groups to help build confidence and self-belief. To find out more about our charity please follow the link https://www.therendezvous.org.uk/.”

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, the rest can be used for other charities chosen by the branch.

In the last year, Hays Travel’s Local Community Partnership initiative across its retail network has donated over £177,000 to local charities.