Panache Cruises is already halfway to its target of raising at least £50,000 for Reuben’s Retreat – just one month after launching the appeal.
James Cole, chief executive of the luxury cruise agency, outlined his aim raise the sum for the Glossop-based charity in February to mark his 50th birthday.
The agency will be donating £10 for every booking made in 2025 and asking customers if they would like to match it.
In addition, more than a dozen of the Panache Cruises team have signed up to scale Mount Kilimanjaro in June.
If fundraising efforts continue at the current level, the initial £50,000 target will have been met by the time the climb begins.
More: Reuben’s Retreat hails Globes guests for raising £15k during event
Cole said: “It’s been an absolutely stunning start to the campaign. We’d reached £20,000 by the end of February and we’ve hit £25,000 in March – but we’re not slowing up.
“The initial promise was to raise at least £50,000 but we want to raise a lot more than that and the early indications are that we’ll smash that target.”
Reuben’s Retreat supports families who have suffered the loss of a child or have a child living with medical complexities.
Nicola and Mike Graham set up the charity after their 23-month-old son Reuben passed away in 2012 from an aggressive brain tumour.
The money will go towards a £1m appeal to finish off the retreat in Glossop by renovating four family apartments.
Panache Cruises’ senior management team was recently given a tour of the site.
Cole said: “I thought it was important that the rest of the team could see what we were raising money for.
“It was an experience that none of us will forget. Reuben’s Retreat needs to raise £40,000 a month just to keep their doors open so there will be no let up from us in our fundraising.”
Anna Perrott, partnerships director at Panache Cruises, said the trip had given the entire company added incentive to raise as much money as possible.
“I didn’t know what to expect but it was such a positive, happy place,” she added.
“One of the most memorable things for me was the swimming pool. They’d adapted it so that someone with a disability could go straight in from the changing room. They’re providing a really valuable experience.
“The contrast between the areas that are finished and those that are a work in progress was striking. It really focused our minds on helping them raise the £1m they need to complete the next phase.”
Pictured: The Panache Cruises team and members of tech partner TProfile visit Reuben’s Retreat