Travel agents in County Durham have gone the extra mile in support of a colleague and his family.
Staff at Hays Travel Stanley completed four marathon-distance runs in February, inspired by 10-year-old George, whose efforts in January raised funds for Prostate Cancer UK in honour of his grandfather.
Colin Burns, branch manager at Hays Travel Gateshead, is undergoing treatment for prostate cancer and will begin hormone therapy and radiotherapy later this spring.
To support him, his grandson George took on the ‘Run the Month’ challenge in January, covering the full 26.2-mile distance to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.
Inspired by George, the Stanley branch team decided to run a marathon each week during February using an in-store treadmill.
Laura Watson, assistant manager at Hays Travel Stanley, said: "We chose this challenge as Colin, the branch manager from the Gateshead shop, is currently undergoing treatment for prostate cancer.
"His grandson, George, ran the equivalent of a marathon in January to raise money, so we thought we would help in branch to support him with this amazing cause.
"It went really well and we all took turns on the treadmill throughout the days – our customers donated in branch and every donation went into a prize draw to win a £100 Hays Travel voucher."
Seven team members took part, collectively running 104.8 miles over the month and raising £300 for Prostate Cancer UK.
The firm is the UK’s largest independent travel agent, with branches nationwide.
Each branch is given a £500 budget for charitable initiatives.
Of this, £200 supports charities focused on young people’s mental health, while the remaining £300 can be used to support causes chosen by the individual branch.
Through its Local Community Partnership scheme, Hays Travel’s retail network has donated nearly £170,000 to local charities over the past year.
"Our customers donated in branch and every donation went into a prize draw to win a £100 Hays Travel voucher."
The Stanley team raised £300 for Prostate Cancer UK through their efforts.
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Each branch receives a £500 budget to support local charity work.
Of this, £200 is earmarked for organisations supporting young people’s mental health, while the remaining £300 can be used for other causes chosen by the team.
Through its Local Community Partnership initiative, Hays Travel donated nearly £170,000 to local charities in the past year.
