A family supported by the Reuben’s Retreat charity has enjoyed a two-night Disney cruise, thanks to the efforts of Travel Counsellors.
Earlier this year, the homeworking agency set a challenge of booking 150 cabins for the Disney Magic at Sea itineraries around the UK during the summer.
For every cabin sold, the company donated £10 towards a cabin for a family from Reuben’s Retreat – a children’s charity with close links to the travel trade.
The Travel Counsellors agents exceeded their target within days to secure the gift.
After “much careful thought”, the team at Reubens Retreat awarded the cruise to eight-year-old Molly and her family.
Nicola Graham, founder of Reuben’s Retreat, said: “During a pandemic, when travel has taken such a hit, to be gifted such a wonderful experience is testament to the special relationship between Travel Counsellors and Reuben’s Retreat.
“As well as helping Molly make fantastic memories, the cruise has helped Reuben’s Retreat to truly engage with the family.
“The conversations around the cruise opened a great dialogue between [Molly’s] mum and the support team at Reuben’s Retreat, and our follow-up led to some great interaction.
“Mum has accessed more support and Molly has visited the retreat to enjoy a swim and some sensory play.
“We will now be able to support Molly and mum through the toughest of times ahead.”
Molly’s mum said: “We had the most amazing experience and made the most precious memories that we will treasure for a lifetime.
“It was beautiful to see Molly smiling and laughing so much at Olaf and the other Disney characters.
“The whole experience was fantastic, and Molly absolutely loved it – her face was priceless.
“Molly is the epitome of strength and resilience, and we are so grateful and blessed to be able to experience this and make special memories.”
Janet Whittingham, head of cruise at Travel Counsellors, added: “As soon as we decided to provide a family at Reubens Retreat with such a special gift, we just knew we had to reach our goal.
“Our Travel Counsellors immediately got behind the effort, and it wasn’t long before we smashed our target.
“When I made the call to Nicola at Reubens Retreat to gift the cruise, she was taken aback by the generosity of our community and we both felt the raw emotion of gifting something so special.
“Disney Cruise Line really does create ‘Magic at Sea’ and I, along with everyone in the Travel Counsellors community, are delighted that Molly and her family were able to create magical moments to treasure forever.”