Support group Back in Time for Bed to create advisory board

Parent support group Back in Time for Bed has revealed plans for an advisory board after hosting its first event for families in the travel industry.

Around 60 mums, dads and children joined a family fun day on Royal Caribbean’s Anthem of the Seas in Southampton.

The group gives advice to parents working in the industry and acts as an information hub for employers.

 More: Industry mums set up working parents support group

Vicky Billing, head of partnerships at Riviera Travel, and Anna Perrott, head of supplier relations at Panache Cruises, who set up the group in February, now aim to create an advisory board of working parents to organise future events.

Perrott appealed for interested mums and dads to get in touch.

She said: “We want more people to get involved. We want an advisory board of parents to work alongside us to organise events. We’re looking for people of different ages, male and female.”

Perrott said the group wants to bring about change by highlighting issues working parents face and “celebrate companies that are supportive of working parents”.

She added: “We want to bring the issue to the forefront so companies understand how to get the best out of working parents.”

Billing added the nature of working in the travel sector made it particularly tough.

“Parents want a career and some are on the road or away from home a lot and have severe parent guilt – they want to go on fam trips but also be the best parent they can,” she said.

Agents and suppliers at the fun day praised the group for highlighting the need for change.

Travel Village Group homeworker Kirsty Van Wyk said: “There needs to be a massive cultural change in the travel industry. A lot of events are held in the evening. There needs to be more understanding of the pressure working parents are under.”

Jess Dennison, director at Latin Routes, said: “It’s really positive what Back in Time for Bed is doing and employers should be doing more.”

Back in Time for Bed’s first formal event, Balancing Work and Family, will be held at Newcastle airport on September 22.