Mix together for three days in Europe on some interesting roads. Glaze with a few challenges and a couple of beers, and at the end you’ll get just over 42,000 perfectly prepared portions of charity cake. I refer, of course, to the incredible total of more than £42,000 raised by the teams taking part in this year’s Travel Trade Crusade, smashing our initial target of £30,000.
But as well as our main dish, there were also lovely and unexpected bonus flavours. We were served camaraderie, friendship, laughter and altruism in bucketloads.
Our crusaders came from all walks of the industry and for three days (and nights!) professional rivalries were put aside, egos were left at home and everyone united as one great team to help raise money for those less fortunate than ourselves. Even before the start, our teams were helping each other.
Offers of cars and assistance to those unlucky teams whose transport had already failed them before the start signalled the team spirit that prevailed throughout the rally. It was comedy and madness all the way. Dressed in ridiculous outfits and setting themselves the most outlandish of challenges in pursuit of a few points, our teams made complete fools of themselves, all in the name of charity.
As the co-organiser of the event with my friend Nick Joyce, we’ve both been overwhelmed by the time, effort and financial investment everyone has made in all the crusades and we’ve both been humbled by these efforts. It’s not just the teams where this great spirit shows itself – it extends to our sponsors too – companies willing to spend money to help the rally without expecting their logo to be featured more prominently than others or a huge return on their investment. It could be that they know that we are two enthusiastic amateurs rather than a big corporate enterprise, and so they go easy on us.
But really I believe it’s because everyone who has been involved with the previous crusades has their heart in the right place. When we started this four years ago, we thought we’d get a few people to enter and hopefully we’d raise a little money for charity.
Four years and three events later, the UK trade has managed to raise more than £100,000 for good causes and every penny of that is money that those charities wouldn’t have had if people hadn’t taken this madcap idea to their hearts.
As someone who hasn’t always worked in the travel industry, it didn’t take me long to realise that travel people are generally kind, generous and fun with a work-hard, play-hard attitude, and those are qualities that you don’t always find in other working arenas.
I’m very lucky and humbled that my peers have chosen the Travel Trade Crusade as their way to celebrate those qualities, and help some great causes through it. And I have just two words to say to you all: Thank you.
Sarah Archer is UK sales manager at Beachcomber Tours and co-organiser of the Travel Trade Crusade
