Southport travel agents fundraise for 2 local charities

A group of travel agents from Southport have raised almost:- �600, for 2 different charities after organising a sponsored walk in their store.

The team from Hays Travel on Chapel Street planned the event to raise money for:- 'YoungMinds' and 'Queenscourt Hospice.'

The 5 strong team took it in turns on a treadmill to walk:- 42 kilometres, starting at:- 8.30 am, and hitting their target:- 8 hours and 15 minutes later.

Hays Travel branch manager, Alyson Croft, said:- "The fundraising event went so well and there was such a great atmosphere in store. We took turns on the treadmill throughout the day and finished well ahead of our target time. We made the most of every minute; Laura even enjoyed her breakfast being fed to her whilst walking! We chose Queenscourt Hospice because they have been providing compassionate care for over 30 years. Sadly, they are really struggling for funding and are under threat of closure, which would dramatically impact the service of care in the area. Some of the team have relatives who have used the facility, and all of us know someone who has. We also chose YoungMinds because youth mental health is such a priority at the moment, and this age group was most affected by the Pandemic."

YoungMinds is the UK's leading charity fighting for a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, whilst Queenscourt Hospice offers vital palliative care to people in:- West Lancashire, North Sefton (Southport and Formby.0

Hays Travel Southport's event raised �586, but there is still time to donate by visiting the following links:-

JustGving.Com for Queenscourt.
JustGiving.Com for Young Minds.

Did you know that each Hays Travel branch is provided with a:- �500 budget, to use for fundraising and charity work within their local area; �200 of this is to be used to fundraise for charities which support young people's mental health, and the other �300 can be used for charities chosen by the branch. In the last year, Hays Travel's Local Community Partnership initiative across its retail network has donated almost �170,000 to local charities.

Sefton Council shortlisted for Social Impact Award

SEFTON Council's Active Travel, Place Making and Public Realm Programme has been shortlisted for the:- 'North West Regional Construction Awards 2026.'

Working with partners, the Council have ensured that major highway schemes have delivered wider positive social impact in the community outside of the direct scheme benefits themselves.

Active Travel, Place Making and Public Realm schemes... Across multiple schemes, �5.9m of social value has been delivered, thousands of students engaged with, hundreds of weeks of apprenticeships provided, and over:- �20,000 invested towards community projects which included:- funding programmes for Primary School children to learn and grow food. The range of initiatives focused on inclusive employment and skill pathways, that targeted:- community support, and environmental and social sustainability. Efforts were focused around long term impacts that impacted locally.

Employment and skills... Supporting local employment was a significant part of the social impact delivered that has been recognised in the award nomination. For example, partner Balfour Beatty worked with local organisations like Sefton@Work, Care Experienced Hub, and Hugh Baird to provide:-

2 45 day placements for T-Level students.
Provided a 6 month paid placement for a care leaver.
Provided 400 weeks of apprenticeships.
Spent 140 staff hours supporting local Schools and Colleges through workshops and fairs.
Engaged with 2,283 students.

Targeted community support... Donating to:- the Christmas Toy appeal, volunteering at community centres, working with Sefton4Good and local suppliers, supporting and working with the community, was an important part of the social impact delivered.

Environmental and social sustainability... In all schemes, 99.9% of waste was diverted from landfill, with much of it recycled on site. Educational workshops were also held in Primary Schools, providing hands on learning around food production, climate awareness and STEM subjects.

The Schemes... The Social Impact delivered was for the schemes Les Transformations de Southport, Maritime Corridor, and Southport Eastern Access, which together delivered improvements from:- a better and nicer public realm, improved walking and cycling infrastructure that supports local jobs, and improved junctions, all to support regeneration.

The Council, with the wider project team including Balfour Beatty, WSP, Atkins, D Morgan, and SCAPE have been shortlisted in the Social Impact Award as the annual North West Regional Construction Awards, with the winners announced in Liverpool on:- Thursday, 2 July 2026.

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News reports located on this page = 2.

Southport travel agents fundraise for 2 local charities

Sefton Council shortlisted for Social Impact Award