9 May 2006
In March, seven people who use the services of Thames Reach Bondway made their way to Gatwick Airport, checked in, and boarded a plane bound for Barcelona.
Holiday Club members Christy Nolan, Farouk Campbell and Tony Whittaker in Montserrat.
The ten-day trip was the first journey of the charity’s Holiday Club. For many of its members, it was the first time they had ever been abroad.
Tony Whittacker had never before been on an aeroplane. He described it as “a fantastic experience, especially when you're looking at those clouds and saying, 'Made it, Ma, I'm top of the world!’”
For Dennis Waters, the trip was a particular achievement. “It was over 12 years since I'd been on a holiday, and it was the first time I've been on a holiday sober,” he said. “That was a big challenge for me.”
Formed in January 2005, the holiday-makers met regularly to plan their trip. They abided by club rules and contributed £2.50 a week until they had each raised £80.
Most of the other £5,000 raised was generously donated by KPMG staff and members of Thames Reach Bondway’s Board.
Derick Van Rooyen, from the Finance team, volunteered to do the accounting for the group, and found himself also booking the flights and accommodation and organising their passports and insurance.
Barcelona buildings. Photograph by Christy Nolan.
He accompanied the club to the airport and made sure they caught their plane. After that, they were on their own. Although the group kindly invited Derick to go with them, in his view “that would have spoilt it. The whole idea was for them to do it themselves and build their self-confidence. It was satisfying to see them have the kind of normal experience that other people have all the time.”
The group stayed in a self-contained apartment and chose how to spend their days and their money.
They explored Barcelona and beyond, “going on rambles together”, cooking, eating out, socialising at Irish pubs and trying (unsuccessfully) to convince bar staff to play football on the big screen instead of Spanish soaps.
They attended a Filipino mass, rescued caterpillars on the road, and Richard Day climbed Sant Jeroni, the highest peak in the Montserrat range: “It was a mind-blowing experience,” he said.
Despite some ups and downs, the club members are keen to travel again. Ideas for the next holiday range from Scotland or Ireland to Norway, Hawaii and South America. “All donations gratefully received,” said Tony.
It might take them another year to get there, but Derick is going to let the group do its own planning and fundraising. “They need to realise they can do these things themselves,” he said. “Next time I'll back off a bit.”
