Riviera Travel employees Jane Walker, Ella-Renai Locke, and Romilly Stasaitis returned to Kisumu in May to see the continued impact of Riviera’s partnership with Practical Action, a UK-based non-profit helping communities develop sustainable solutions to poverty and climate-related challenges.
The initiative forms part of Riviera’s “Doing the Right Thing” plan, focusing on sustainability, carbon reduction, ethical operations and charitable giving. For every guest booking, Riviera donates £2 to projects supporting cleaner, healthier rivers and communities, with guests also able to round up their booking to contribute further.
Joined by Emily Darroch, Senior Business Development Manager at Practical Action, the team reconnected with Gracious Mums; a group of young, single mothers who came together to develop a rotating nursery system that allows mothers to work while others care for the children. Over the past year, the group have also developed their own waste recycling facility.
Jane Walker, Head of Riviera Travel’s Charity Team, said: “Seeing the confidence and ambition of the women involved has been incredibly inspiring and is a powerful reminder of why this partnership matters. Gracious Mums has grown, expanded its facilities and created new opportunities in the community.
Their passion, resilience and support for each other really stood out to us, and the group holds a very special place in our hearts.”
Riviera colleagues also took part in the company’s annual Race to Kisumu challenge, raising funds for Practical Action to support the installation of a borehole at a local primary school, giving pupils and staff a permanent source of clean, fresh water.
Employees across the business collectively walked, ran and cycled the distance from Riviera’s Burton-on-Trent head office to Kisumu, with the route extended via Dublin and Fort Lauderdale to include the Ireland and US teams. Against an original target of 19,455km, colleagues completed 28,432km and raised £7,000 through department-led activities including bake sales, raffles, pyjama days and car boot sales.
