Flight Centre, the world’s number one travel agent to Australia, has announced Mind, the mental health charity, as its 2017 charity partner.
Pledging a fundraising target of £100,000, Flight Centre employees will take part in a number of fundraising activities for the charity throughout the year, including the Royal Parks Half Marathon, Three Peaks Challenge, Ride London, Thames Path Challenge, and Mind Hikes in The Lake District. Flight Centre will match all money raised pound for pound.
More than 1,100 votes were cast by employees across the Flight Centre Travel Group and Mind was announced the chosen charity partner after receiving the majority of the vote. Flight Centre’s community of Charity Champions will also help to raise awareness by organising company fundraising events and will be the point of call for all things charity-related for employees.
Mind provides advice and support to empower anyone experiencing a mental health problem. The charity campaigns to improve services, raise awareness and promote understanding.
Will Leonelli, HR Director at Flight Centre, said: “Thanks to Mind’s campaigning over the last few years we know that one in four of us will experience a mental health problem each year. Within Flight Centre we want to change attitudes towards mental health and wellbeing in the workplace. By working with Mind, we will help this life-changing charity to ensure no-one has to face a mental health problem alone.
“Our fundraising will support the charity’s national helpline, which offers a lifeline to those in desperate need. We will also fund mental health projects both across the UK and within Flight Centre itself to help raise awareness, offer support and change attitudes towards mental health.”
Kathleen Miles, Director of Fundraising at Mind, said: “We are hugely grateful to the staff at Flight Centre for choosing Mind as their charity of the year and helping to ensure we can support the one in four people who experience a mental health problem in any given year. Money raised over the course of this partnership will allow us to continue to be there for people who need it, when they need it the most and to fight to make sure that everyone with a mental health problem gets the support and respect they deserve.”
The partnership will sit alongside Flight Centre’s own foundation, which was set up to provide education to disadvantaged children in South Africa.
Previously, Flight Centre’s chosen charity was Alzheimer’s UK, of which more than £240,000 was raised during a two-year partnership.
For more information, visit www.flightcentre.co.uk.
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About the Flight Centre Travel Group (FCTG)
The Flight Centre Travel Group (fctgl.com) is one of the world’s largest travel companies with over 18,000 staff and 2500 stores across its leisure, corporate and wholesale businesses. The company’s turnover in 2014/2015 financial year was £9 billion. After starting with one shop 30 years ago, FCTG has enjoyed remarkable growth and is one of the top 100 publicly listed companies on the Australian Securities Exchange.
All specialist brands under the FCTG Corporate banner offer 24/7 support and the benefits of a blended offline/online solution; global negotiation strength and unique and superior business travel products.
About Flight Centre
The team at Flight Centre are experts when it comes to travel and are committed to providing customers with a great experience. The company’s success comes down to its people, experienced Travel Experts who are passionate about finding their customers the holiday they want, for the price they want.
Since establishing the first Flight Centre store in 1995, the business has grown its team of Travel Experts to include over 80 stores within the United Kingdom, with new stores opening regularly. Worldwide, Flight Centre has an amazing 2,500 stores across the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, United States, Canada and more, making Flight Centre one of the largest and most successful independent travel retailers in the world. With its global reach and close relationships with the world’s best travel providers, the company is able to provide competitive travel deals as well as offer a ‘Lowest Airfare Guarantee’.
The Flight Centre team can organise anything from flights to holidays, hotels, car hire, tours, travel insurance, visas and more. They also have dedicated First and Business Class flight teams and Business Travel teams to help with any specialised travel needs.
For more information go to www.flightcentre.co.uk, www.facebook.com/FlightCentreUK, www.twitter.com/flightcentre_UK or www.instagram.com/flightcentreuk.
