Staff at Newmarket Holidays have used pedal power to raise more than £5,000 for new school latrines in Nicaragua.
As part of the tour operator’s Travel for Good mission to reduce its carbon footprint and help communities supporting its tours, the company has partnered with water charity Just a Drop to raise £8,000 in total through a number of events.
Money will go towards building a new latrine at Los Calpules School, where current latrines are old, dilapidated and unusable. The new latrines will have separate toilets for boys, girls and teachers and provide handwashing facilities.
Around 50 employees, including chief executive Niel Alobaidi (pictured left) and head of trade sales Richard Forde (pictured right), spent a day on exercise bikes in the operator’s offices to cycle 297 miles – equivalent to the width of Nicaragua.
The staff split into two teams, Team Managua and Team Granada, named after cities in Nicaragua, to see which could do the most miles. Staff were sponsored by friends, family, and industry colleagues to take part.
Forde, a keen cyclist, aimed to cycle 30 miles “between meetings”. He said: “I said I would do some extra miles for the team as I love cycling and go out regularly on the bike.”
Speaking on the fundraising cause, he added: “Across Nicaragua, latrine and hand-washing facilities are limited, which leads to open defecation, increases the risk of disease, and causes kids to miss out on school.”
Only around 6% of Nicaragua’s schools have gender-specific toilets which leads many girls to leave school when they reach puberty.
Head of marketing and brand Kate Liberty said the operator had wanted a project that was achievable in terms of fundraising and fitted with its Travel for Good cause. “We wanted something that was tangible and would make a difference,” she said.
Just a Drop founder Fiona Jeffery praised the efforts of the operator’s staff. “Newmarket is a really valuable, new partner for us and they understand how important it is to give back to communities,” she said.
The operator has also run other smaller events, such as bake sales, to raise money for the charity.
To donate, visit Newmarket Holidays’ JustGiving page