It takes a special person to turn their own adversity into an opportunity to enrich the lives of others. By doing exactly that, Vicky Jones has endeared herself to her colleagues across Barrhead Travel – and earned herself a TTG Top 50 Intrepid Responsible Travel Champion award too.

Vicky is a travel agent through and through; she started with Going Places 26 years ago, which became Thomas Cook. After its demise, she joined Barrhead in 2022, and is now assistant manager at the agency's Northwich store in Cheshire.

Her life was upended in August 2024 by a cancer diagnosis, which came after she went to the doctors with what she felt was a tennis elbow-type complaint.

“Mine is a rare type of cancer called sarcoma, and because the cancer was in the soft tissue around my elbow joint, they could not get rid of it without taking my arm," she explains.

The operation happened swiftly – by October, Vicky was without her right arm and by December, back at work. “Recovery time is meant to be six months,” she says, “but I wanted to be back for January peaks. I don’t like being stuck at home – I like to be busy and I like routine.”

'I'm still me'

Throwing herself into work is also her way of coping. “All the way, I’ve wanted people to still think I’m me," she continues. "Just because I’ve got cancer, I’m not someone different. I think it also helps my two children to see that mum is still getting up, going to work and doing her job."

Vicky switched her car for an automatic so she could drive one-handed, and she’s had to change her computer mouse settings so it works for a left-handed user.

Her attitude is to give things a go, and if she can’t work it out, only then will she ask for help. “I don’t like asking for help because it’s a bit more of my independence being taken away,” she says.

The biggest change she’s encountered in her life – and one that might not be immediately obvious unless you’ve been in her situation – is her balance on stairs. “I feel off-balance,” she says. "I’m heavier on one side. It makes me slower on stairs, because I don’t want to fall.”

Security fail

Vicky’s Barrhead store is all on the ground floor so she only really became aware of a glaring need for changes when, in April 2025, she headed off on her first holiday since losing her arm.

The worst of her experiences involved the airport where the body scanner did not work because she wasn’t able to put both arms in the air and staff were indifferent to her situation. “It took us ages to get through security,” she says.

Then in the hotel, she realised how challenging a buffet experience can be – when you only have the one hand to hold a plate, how do you serve yourself? That made a la carte a more accessible experience, she says.

© Vicky Jones

Back in England, she shared those negative experiences with healthcare professionals, who said they were a big deterrent for travellers with accessibility needs, many of whom wait well over a year after losing a limb before going abroad – if they even travel at all.

Vicky was dismayed to learn this. “People in my situation should feel like they can go away because, if anything, a holiday becomes even more important as part of that recovery time," she stresses.

She then went abroad a second time, and even though she pre-empted the scanner not working and told the security guard why it wouldn’t, she was still forced to try it. “After that, I said to Catherine Finlan, who was Barrhead’s regional head of sales at the time [now sales director], we need to do something.”

Raising awareness

As a result, Vicky was invited to Barrhead Travel’s annual conference, which took place in Croatia at the end of September last year, to share her experiences.

“On that trip, my colleagues saw first-hand the negative experience at the airport, and they couldn’t believe how awful it was," she recalls. “I took part in a Q&A up on stage about my experiences. I wanted to make colleagues more aware and not be afraid to ask questions of their clients.”

Taking a visible stand at conference helped put these issues on the agenda at Barrhead, and sweeping changes have been made to the company culture around accessibility, with Vicky at the heart of it all. 

She is part of a newly established Accessibility Working Group, which is responding to Vicky’s feedback with meaningful action. It started with an audit that reviewed accessibility at all Barrhead’s retail stores.

The staff intranet has also been updated with a dedicated accessibility section, giving staff easy access to accessible resources, including guidance on airport assistance, recommended suppliers and training content designed to build confidence.

Training colleagues

Sales training has also been rolled out to ensure questions around inclusivity and accessibility needs are embedded in Barrhead’s standard approach, making it a core part of the customer journey.

Vicky has also inspired others within Barrhead to share their own stories and ideas. “Colleagues have come forward to say, 'we could do this', based on their individual needs and experiences," she says. "That’s why it’s so important to talk about it."

She also hopes Barrhead’s clout can persuade airports to make meaningful change – representatives at Newcastle airport have said they will escalate the need for more accessible scanning after listening to Vicky’s story in Croatia.

The impact on customers has also become apparent for Vicky after seeing how her colleagues managed the booking for a female client approaching the end of her life. “It wasn’t obvious she was ill, and it was only through asking the right questions that she opened up to us," she explains.

"She came in after her Florida holiday, and said from start to finish it had been perfect, and I know that’s because we were able to put in all the help she needed along the way.

“My colleagues have become less scared about having these conversations. Everyone knows now, what to say and where to go for information. You shouldn’t be treated any differently just because of your needs.”

A cancer setback

In a short space of time, Vicky has been the catalyst for so much change for the better within Barrhead. In recent months, she had to take a step back again, because in December, despite feeling healthy, she found out her cancer had spread to her lungs, and she underwent chemotherapy these past few months.

After collecting her award, she left the event on 23 April early because she had chemotherapy the next morning. “I was a bit gutted about leaving early, but obviously I saw everyone at the start of the night, and everyone’s been really nice, so yeah, I do feel proud.

“Chemotherapy is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” she adds. “But it’s done now, and hopefully that’s it.”  

© Vicky Jones

Vicky is full of praise for the help she has received. “Barrhead have been so supportive, particularly Sean Buckley, my manager; Catherine Garvey, my regional sales manager; Catherine Finlan, sales director; and Nicki Tempest-Mitchell, our managing director,” she says.

“And I’ve known them all since my Thomas Cook years so they’re like family. I was so stunned when I heard my name read out at TTG Top 50 that Cath [Garvey] had to walk me to the stairs.”

Positive mental attitude

For all the ups and downs, Vicky has emerged defiant. "Because of what I’ve been through, I’m not scared of doing things any more," she tells TTG.

"At one time, if I’d been told, you need to go and speak at conference, or you need to go on stage to collect an award, I would have been scared. But I feel like the worst has already happened to me, so I might as well just get on with it.

“A friend once told me, ‘I don’t understand how you can be so positive all the time’. And I said to her, ‘Sitting and crying is the one thing I am not going to do. Carrying on is the only thing I can do, and if I can help someone else while I’m doing it, then I can make something positive out of what’s happened to me'.”  

Only last week, Vicky’s most recent results have shown the cancer to be stable, and she’s been cleared to fly again. 

She is working full-time, determined to continue influencing travel for the better – and embracing life. “I cannot wait to start travelling and making memories again,” she adds.