p12 news apr3 1/4/09 17:15 Page 12
news
ttglive.com
Freedom Direct includes
videos on revamped site
Chris Gray.
the new site by running a competition to give
FREEDOM DIRECT has relaunched its website – away a holiday to the most deserving entrant.
and marked the occasion by rewarding a caring Facebook users were asked to nominate de-
grandmother with a free holiday. serving people, and the winner was grandmother
An inhouse team at the online agency has Maureen Whiteley, from Cheshire, who was
revamped the site two years after it was first nominated by her daughter Denise for giving up
set up. virtually all her time to help care for her severely
It carries video clips showing bedrooms, ill grandson, Harry.
communal areas and exterior shots of Harry, who died last year aged five, had an
about 2,000 hotels, as well as reviews from extremely rare condition that left him blind,
TripAdvisor and pictures from Google Earth. unable to eat or drink, quadriplegic and suffering
“Customers can find the hotel, look at the repeated seizures. Freedom winner: Maureen Whiteley, with grandson Harry
pictures and videos, look at it from Google Earth Maureen and her husband will take their
and then see what people think on TripAdvisor,” holiday at the five-star Savoy Hotel in Sharm el pand the agency’s use of social networking sites.
said managing director Martin Jones. Sheikh in May. Freedom Direct’s previous site was developed
The site also has a link to The competition helped to build up a Facebook by Traveltec. Jones said Freedom decided to
Facebook, where Free- group for Freedom Direct, which now has 150 develop its own site to give it more control over
dom Direct publicised members. Jones added that he intended to ex- its operations.
Co-op Travel installs
Dolphin Dynamics
solar panels in school
reports sales rise
INDEPENDENT travel companies are continuing
to invest in technology despite the economic
A CHESHIRE branch of The Co-operative Travel urgent need to do what we can to tackle climate downturn, according to travel technology
has helped a local school become one of the change.” supplier Dolphin Dynamics.
greenest in the country after selecting it to The Co-operative Group as a whole is investing Dolphin said sales from new customers had hit
receive 24 solar panels worth £20,000. £1 million to install panels at 60 schools and to a three-year high following a sharp rise in en-
Sandbach High School was nominated by pilot wind turbines, biomass boilers and ground quiries from small and medium-sized companies.
Andrea Jones (pictured, back row far left), source heat pumps at 20 schools. In the 12 weeks since December 2008, Dolphin
branch manager of the Co-op’s Middlewich shop. has signed nine new contracts with small to
It is the first school of 18 that will receive the medium-sized independents, including leisure
panels, courtesy of staff in Co-operative Travel agents, corporate travel management companies
branches around the country. and operators. It has also signed several deals
Pupils will be able to track with larger travel firms.
on a monitor at the school Dolphin said travel firms appeared to be focus-
how much renewable ing on the need to upgrade out-of-date systems
energy they are generating and processes to compete in a difficult market.
and the amount of carbon Roberto da Re, president of Dolphin Dynamics,
dioxide saved. said: “Independent travel companies are
Jones said: “We hope considering major financial investments even
the switch-on of these more carefully at the current time.
rooftop solar panels will “However, we believe the focus of the industry
give the whole community on business efficiency is a key factor in the
a jolt by sending out a increase in sales, and technology can offer
strong message about the tangible ways to manage their business better.”
12 03.04.2009
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