Cruise line anchors support for local charity

IT will be all hands on deck for staff of a cruise line who hope to make waves in their bid to support a local charity.

The UK sales team of Virgin Voyages will take to the skies – quite literally – to help raise money
for Reuben’s Retreat.

Some well-known people from across the travel industry will also ‘make the leap’ for the skydive.

It’s one of a range of initiatives and events that the Virgin Voyages team will raise awareness of
and funds for the charity which supports families who have suffered the loss of a child or have a
child living with medical complexities.

They include being headline sponsor of the annual ReuBall in July and having a presence at the cruise line’s trade events.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to partner with Reuben’s Retreat to help them achieve their incredible goals,” said SJ Walker, Director of Sales UK at Virgin Voyages.

“This partnership is the perfect opportunity to support the passion and dedication that is driven
by Reuben’s Retreat and we can’t wait to deliver on our promise.”

The money Virgin Voyages raises will help on the charity’s ‘Forever Home Stretch’ as it fundraises to complete the remaining phases of its transformation of an old hospital in Glossop.

The charity has always had a connection with the travel industry – as it was the sector where both founder Nicola Graham and her husband Mike worked in.

Nicola explained: “Back in 2023, we got introduced to Jack Atherton from Virgin Voyages, one of TTG’s class of 23’s 30 Under 30, a specially selected group of emerging talent from the industry, and he became involved in some of our activity.

“Mike had also spoken to SJ about Reuben’s after working with her for some time and they very
kindly put us forward as the charity partner. We were over the moon to receive the call to say that we’d been chosen.

“We are both grateful and excited to be working with such a fantastic team, iconic brand and
formidable force!”