Travel agents send 6-year-old to Disney after cycle challenge raises £10,000
STAFF from eight Hays Travel branches have taken part in a cycle challenge alongside the firefighters from MiddlemoorFire Station who have cycled from Exeter to Basingstoke over a two day period this month.
The travel agent staff matched the firefighters’ miles using exercise bikes in the eight shops along the route.
On the 30th of May this year, firefighters from the Exeter group of the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service rescued Amelie Aitken from a terrible road traffic collision. Tragically her father passed away at the scene.
The firefighters cycled from Exeter to Basingstoke, where the family were travelling to at the time of the accident, in the hope to raise enough money to send Amelie to Disney.
Hays Travel have not only sponsored the team cycling the 150 miles but the local retail branches located along the route have matched the team’s miles on exercise bikes within their branches over the same days in an attempt to raise even more funds. The branches who took part are based in Exeter St Thomas, Honiton, Sidmouth, Tiverton, Yeovil, Salisbury, Topsham, and Basingstoke.
The branches altogether have raised a whopping £1928 for Amelie’s Challenge to go alongside the firefighters amount raised which so far is £7813 which is made up of donations from the two day event and also from their Just Giving page.
The combined total of money raised for Amelie’s Challenge is £9,741 and counting.
Mandy Sousa, manager of the Hays Travel Foundation, said: “I am so very proud of all of the staff that got involved for this amazing challenge, they all worked so hard and were very passionate and determined to raise as much as they could. We hope Amelie and her family have a wonderful time in Disneyland making lots of memories.”
Each branch within Hays Travel get a yearly budget that they can use to sponsor any fundraising activities to support those in need within their local community.
Daniel Lampard, Firefighter from Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue service, said: “We have raised just short of £10,000 which is absolutely amazing and we couldn’t have done it without Hays Travel. Really their support has honestly been absolutely fantastic, I couldn’t have asked for anymore. They didn’t have to do it and they have all been brilliant.
“I am not an emotional person but it brought a tear to my eye meeting Amelie at the finishing line and finding out just how much we have raised so far.”
With the help of public donations and the money raised by the Hays Travel branches, they have succeeded all hope and expectation by raising just under £10,000 for Amelie and her family to go away to Disneyland.
For more information on Amelie’s challenge and to donate contact your local Hays Travel branch or visit: justgiving.com/crowdfunding/amelias-challenge.
