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Travel’s Mum’s Army seeks 18 ‘troop leaders’
Juliet Dennis
juliet.dennis@
travelweekly.co.uk
The Mum’s Army campaign launched by Just a Drop a year ago is seeking 18 mums from the travel industry as the charity marks its 18th anniversary.
Ahead of Mother’s Day on
Sunday, the water aid charity this week revealed it will run the initiative for a second year. It was due to run for 12 months
after its launch on Mother’s Day last year, when it kicked off with a major consumer campaign led by TV presenter and patron Alexander Armstrong. Its target was to raise £250,000. It has so far recruited 400 volun-
teers to host fundraising events to help mothers in developing nations gain access to clean water. Charity founder Fiona Jeffery,
former chairman of World Travel Market, said the positive volunteer response had led to the decision
to embark on a second year, with a target of finding 18 industry ‘troop leaders’ to run ‘brigades’ of volunteers and organise fundraising events. She said: “We are calling for 18 inspiring mums from the travel industry – our core supporters – to join the Mum’s Army campaign this year and help us to recruit even more troop leaders.” Volunteers have raised funds
through events ranging from army assault courses to theatre evenings. This year the campaign has
funded a project in Kayabwe in Uganda, a village of 950 people, where mums and children typically spend two hours a day collecting water. It has built two shallow wells, five latrines, rainwater harvesting jars and a water tank. Jeffery is also taking part in the Nuts Challenge military assault
course for Just a Drop on Saturday. › Sign up at
mumsarmy.org › To donate, visit
justgiving.com/ Fiona-Nuts-Challenge
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Marco Ryan
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Operators ‘can’t rely on their past’
Jennifer Morris Travel Technology Europe show
Traditional operators may cease to exist if they rely solely on their status as trusted brands and fail to fully embrace new technology.
That was the warning sounded
by Marco Ryan, a former Thomas Cook chief digital officer, last week. Citing how “disruptive” firms such as Airbnb were changing the face of the industry, he said it was not enough for operators to “paint over analogue problems with digital paint”. Ryan also warned that operators
would face increasing commercial pressures to adapt and modernise ageing technology systems and approaches in the next five years. Speaking at the Travel
POWER MUMS: Fiona Jeffery (right) and a group of Mum’s Army recruits meet the PM’s wife, Samantha Cameron (fourth left), at 10 Downing Street last week at a reception held to recognise Just a Drop’s work.
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travelweekly.co.uk 3 March 2016
Technology Europe show last week, he said: “There’s a belief that historical strengths are enough to deter disruption. “Maybe they are for 2016, but someone during that year is going to launch a start-up that radically impacts some of the assumptions built into the yielding model and
“There’s a belief that historical strengths are enough to deter disruption”
hotel contracts for the next year. “That means in 2017 they’re
already possibly not competitive.” He continued: “Digital is not a
team or a process, it’s a mindset. “Operators are going to have
to partner and open themselves up in ways they are currently not set up to do. “That will come because there
will be economic pressure on their business models because they haven’t adapted enough.” Ryan said poor data management, an over-focus on product and non-digital leadership at the top also weakened traditional operators’ position. He recommended they bring in
digital talent at all levels, create a “data first” culture and consider partnerships with digitally
advanced companies. › Travel Technology Europe 2016, page 14
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