A staggering £6,696 was raised at the Travel Weekly Agent Achievement Awards for the families of agent apprentice Chloe Rutherford and her boyfriend Liam Curry who were killed in the Manchester bombing.
The generous donations mean the Chloe and Liam Appeal, which had already raised more than £3,000, has smashed its target of £10,000.
Chloe, 19, worked at Westoe Travel in South Shields. During the awards event agency owner, Graeme Brett, gave a moving speech to the 850 guests about his former employee and showed a clip of her singing.
The Chloe and Liam Appeal was established by Manchester agents Ken Garrity of Ken Garrity Travel and Jill Waite of Pole Travel of Failsworth and was chosen as this year’s nominated charity for the Agent Achievement Awards.
The money will go towards supporting Chloe’s mother, who uses a wheelchair and was cared for by Chloe, along with her father, and to Liam’s mother who also lost her husband just weeks before the attack.
Brett said: “I’m overwhelmed and it’s amazing. I’m so grateful and proud of the travel industry.”