Pata raises £35,000 for homelessness charity at Christmas lunch

The Pacific Asia Travel Association UK & Ireland chapter has raised £35,000 for youth homelessness charity Centrepoint.

The funds were raised during the annual Christmas lunch, held on Thursday (December 14) in association with TravelUni, at Royal Horseguards Hotel, London.

Chris Crampton, Pata UK & Ireland chairman, said: “We celebrated yet another incredible year, raising an outstanding £35,000. My sincere thanks to all the prize sponsors for the raffle and auction; we couldn’t do it without your kindness and support.

“I am so grateful for the remarkable generosity in the room that helped us raise such a fantastic amount, and an extra special thanks to Sir Mike Gooley for his very generous donation this year.

“The Pata Christmas Lunch is a stalwart travel industry event; a fun afternoon was had by all 216 guests.”

Sir Mike Gooley, chief executive of Trailfinders, was a special guest at the event. He said: “Well done to all at Pata for another thoroughly enjoyable event and for raising money for Centrepoint.

“The Mike Gooley Trailfinders Charity is pleased to support such a worthwhile cause.”

Hannah Winter, senior corporate business development manager at Centrepoint, added: “We would like to say a huge thank you and congratulations to Pata UK & Ireland for their incredibly successful charity lunch.

“With an estimated 24,400 young people facing homelessness this winter, your fundraising will play a vital role in helping us to offer vulnerable young people a safe and happy future.”

Crampton also presented two awards to recognise the “outstanding contributions” of colleagues in the travel industry.

John Constable, chief executive of Saga Travel Group, received the Outstanding Contribution award. He said: “Winning this award from Pata means a great deal to me and I’m hugely humbled by it.

“Pata does an outstanding role connecting suppliers from afar with distributors here in the market and keeping everyone together, which I think is very important as well.”

Tom Nutley, former chairman of Pata UK & Ireland, received the Fellowship of Pata award. He commented: “Receiving this award is a great honour. My 40 years in the industry have been an incredible experience.

“I cherish the connections I made and the productive time I had. Above all, the people in the travel industry are exceptional.”

Celebrations included carol singing and the charity raffle and auction which included prizes such as holidays in destinations ranging from Malaysia to the Maldives.

Pictured from left: Sir Mike Gooley, Trailfinders; Paul Brocklehurst, senior manager at Centrepoint; Chris Crampton, Pata