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ABTA LIFELINE ZACH BLACKBURN APPEAL
LifeLine
Abta
A fresh fundraising appeal has been launched to help seriously ill youngster Zach Blackburn. Juliet Dennis reports
Abta LifeLine has launched a new appeal to raise £20,000 to help the family of seriously ill youngster Zach Blackburn. Zach, seven, has a benign brain tumour,
hydrocephalus and neurological disorders. He cannot speak and has to be fed through his stomach. His condition is so complex it has no name, while his family has no idea what the future holds for him. The new appeal, launched officially at Abta
LifeLine’s 2018 London dinner last week, will raise money for a new bed for Zach plus other specialist equipment as well as a respite break for him and his family. Zach’s mum Tricy Isherwood, a former
Thomas Cook and Lunn Poly travel agent, left
her job to be Zach’s full-time carer. At the launch of the latest appeal, Zach was being treated in hospital. This is not the first time the travel industry has helped Zach. In 2014, Abta LifeLine raised £10,000 to build a sensory room for Zach, then aged three, after his mum asked for help to create a calm environment to aid his development. And last year the charity paid for the family
to go on their first holiday in five years after £2,000 was raised at Abta LifeLine’s ‘Big Charity Day’ event. The holiday, at a private beach house in
Bacton, Norfolk, in July, was a rare chance to create happy family memories. However, since the last appeal, Zach’s condition has
HELP: Abta LifeLine built a
sensory room for Zach and paid for a holiday so they
could spend time together outside of the hospital
deteriorated. He is in constant pain, spends much time in hospital and needs round-the- clock care. Speaking at the London dinner, Abta
LifeLine director Trudie Drake said: “Zach’s parents are exhausted. It’s making life financially exceptionally hard and sadly there is no light at the end of the tunnel. “Their debts are mounting. He needs a new bed and constant therapy. We would like to alleviate some of that financial stress.” Mum Tricy said: “Getting the help and
support from Abta LifeLine will be life- changing for us and Zach. He is a beautiful little soul who has a lot of barriers. He is unable to speak or tell us how he is feeling, yet he can still smile through it all.” Drake called on the industry to once again
help raise funds for Zach. The fundraising night at The Royal Air Force
APPEAL: Abta LifeLine’s Trudie Drake urges companies to join the £1 per employee appeal
Club was attended by 106 travel industry professionals and raised £15,000 for a range of causes the charity is currently helping – but more is needed. Drake also urged more companies to join the charity’s £1 per employee appeal and to help raise Abta LifeLine’s profile. For the £1 appeal, Abta members are asked to donate £1 to Abta LifeLine for every employee they have. “It all adds up,” said Drake, adding: “We
want to raise the profile of Abta LIfeLine. We don’t want to be travel’s best-kept secret. It’s your charity for your people, past and present.” Donate to Abta LifeLine:
justgiving.com/abta
50
travelweekly.co.uk 4 October 2018
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