NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW 4


Zach and family enjoy trip thanks to Abta LifeLine


Zach with mum Tricy,


Juliet Dennis juliet.dennis@travelweekly.co.uk


A six-year-old boy with severe medical conditions has taken his first holiday in five years thanks to money raised by the travel industry.


Charity Abta LifeLine raised


£2,000 for Zach Blackburn at the Big Charity Day event earlier this year so Zach and his family could enjoy a break. Zach, who has to be fed through


his stomach, suffers from a benign brain tumour, hydrocephalus,


neurological disorders affecting his balance and speech, and genetic health problems. Since Abta LifeLine’s first


appeal for Zach in 2014, which raised funds for a sensory room to be built, his condition has deteriorated. He is now on stronger medication and has a mental age of 0-24 months. For mum Tricy Isherwood, a


former Thomas Cook and Lunn Poly travel agent and now Zach’s full-time carer, the holiday at a private beach house in Bacton, Norfolk, in July, was a rare chance to create happy family memories.


and at the beach (inset) She said: “We have spent the


last five years not being able to go away and all our photos seem to be of Zach when he is in hospital; none of them have nice memories. “Now we have photos of us all


together and smiling, and even though it was tough on Zach at times, we went on the beach even when it was raining. “Just being able to do that and not being held back by appointments was something. It was a very quiet beach and perfect for Zach – the holiday gave him a


chance to be a little boy.” Tricy said the holiday had a


positive impact too, with Zach using more language, including the word “beach” for the first time. Zach went on holiday with his parents and two sisters. While there are still some funds


remaining for another trip, Tricy has no idea what the future holds. Zach’s illness is so complex it has no name. “We don’t know if it’s a


progressive illness or if he will get stronger,” Tricy added.


5 STORIES HOT


5


Storm Harvey causes havoc in US 150


Juliet Dennis juliet.dennis@travelweekly.co.uk


Holidaymakers expecting to fly home via Houston in Texas could face delays of up to a week as the impact of tropical storm Harvey is felt more widely across the US.


George Bush and Hobby airports


in Houston were closed and flights from the UK cancelled as a result of the category 4 hurricane, which hit the state last Friday (August 28). USAirtours has 60 passengers due to travel on fly-drives around


New Orleans – nearly 350 miles from Houston – in the next two weeks and 150 passengers due to fly home via Houston from all over the US, including Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean, in the next few days. United Airlines said the first


chance to re-route customers out of other US airports would be September 4. USAirtours is rebooking accommodation – clients will have to pay locally but the operator has pledged to reimburse them. The Foreign Office travel advice


is to track weather updates and follow local authority advice.


6 travelweekly.co.uk 31 August 2017


USAirtours passengers due to fly home


Scattered thunderstorms could


trigger flight delays at Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Detroit, the New York area, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington DC. British Airways is allowing passengers booked to travel up to and including September 7


to or from Houston, Austin or New Orleans to delay travel until September 20. Virgin Atlantic passengers travelling to, from or through Austin, Houston or San Antonio can rebook free of charge until September 20. The port of Galveston, Texas, has shut, affecting cruise lines. Carnival Cruise Line diverted three of its ships to New Orleans,


while the August 31 sailing of Carnival Valor has been cancelled. Royal Caribbean diverted


Liberty of the Seas to Miami and cancelled its sailing last Sunday.


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