2023 was a year of individual charity events every month, for various worthy organisations, but there’s always been one that’s very close to the Travel Village Group’s heart. Much loved by all in the travel industry, due to the connections of co-founders Nicola & Mike Graham; Reuben’s Retreat will be the Travel Village Group’s official charity in 2024.
Phil & Paula were invited to visit the Retreat back in March 2023 for a look around and to gain an understanding of the work that goes on there. The Retreat is there to support families who have suffered the loss of a child or have a child living with medical complexities. As sombre as that may sound, the Retreat itself is a source of light, joy and celebration of life. It’s a sanctuary for families to visit together and create special memories and magical moments that will last a lifetime.
In March 2023, Phil had this to say of his visit:
We’ve had a fabulous, rewarding, full of hope visit. Thank you so much for spending the time with us Nicola Graham. Rest assured of our continued support from everyone at the Travel Village Group.
We invited representatives from Reuben’s Retreat to the Travel Village Group’s 2023 Conference in Cyprus to announce our support. Stacey Kirkpatrick and Shannon Coulding took to the stage during our Gala Evening and explained how even the smallest of donations could make an immense difference to someone’s journey. They concluded with a pledge from Phil & Paula, that for every donation made through www.reubensretreat.org/donate by midday on 6th December, by those attending Conference, that they would match the donation total. The total donation from the business (at the time of writing this) was a fabulous £3020!
Stacey sent us this message:
⭐️⭐️ £3020⭐️⭐️
You’ll see the 2 & 3 there which is a little thank you from the main man himself ????????
To put that into context, that equates to 106 counselling sessions for a grieving parent… or it could run our dedicated dads club for 3 years… or it could provide 68 hydrotherapy sessions for a complexly poorly child and their family… it could even provide 15 respite breaks for a family facing an uncertain future ????
Never underestimate the impact you have had to those we support.Thank you for inviting us, supporting us, making us feel so welcome… we felt your kindness, generosity and beautiful warmth towards our cause. We are incredibly grateful. I meant what I said in my 5 minute speech on Sunday – we could feel the love in the room. It was a very special conference with some very special people. Please come and see us if you can. We’re only in Glossop and it’s so important we show you the difference you are helping us make first hand.
By inviting Stacey and Shannon to join the networking sessions it also gave the staff and business owners time to sit down and find out more about the Retreat; which proved extremely beneficial for a few of the parents in the Group.
As a family business it feels like the perfect partnership, and we can’t wait to get going with fundraising ideas!
