Meet Christine Bennett: Winner of the Group Travel Organiser of the Year Award 2020!

Hi Christine, congratulations on the prestigious award that you’ve won! Can you firstly tell us a bit about you?

I went to Royal Cross School for the Deaf, in Preston.  My parents are hearing and I was one of five children.  I have one deaf sister, a deaf brother and two hearing sisters. I used to work as an administrative officer on various jobs in Cheshire where I used to live.  I’m divorced and have a daughter and a granddaughter. I have lived in Yarm, North Yorkshire for 29 years now.

Can you tell us about the voluntary work you’ve been doing for Deaf Group Holidays?

For about seven years I helped a friend who organised holidays for deaf people.  After a while, I felt that I could do it myself in my own way so I moved on and set up my own travel group called Deaf Group Holidays. I started with about 30 deaf members but it expanded to about 150 members, with more joining after they heard that I won the award.

I’m deaf myself so I know exactly what deaf people want from their holidays.  Obviously, they are not interested in visiting an opera or other excursions/activities involving music etc. so I make sure my holidays are geared to what interests deaf people – sightseeing, etc.

For my holidays I always arrange to have at least one interpreter to accompany us. The interpreter will translate what the guides say to British Sign Language (BSL) or Sign Supported English (SSE).  This ensures the group always has full access to information.

It makes the holidays much more interesting and educational for us all.  For deaf people, everything must be visual. I always make sure the interpreter signs  clearly to us and in sufficient light so we see the signing clearly.

Coach holidays/excursions are a bit tricky because, by law, the interpreter cannot stand up in the coach while it is in motion. I arrange with the driver and the guide to have regular stops at vantage places so the interpreter can relay information to the group.

Whenever I can, I put up a daily information sheet on a notice board in the hotel reception areas so my group can see the arrangements for the next day. This helps them to be more prepared and know what to expect from the excursions or other activities

What inspires you to carry on with your voluntary work?

I enjoy travelling as well as organising holidays for other people.  It gives me a lot of satisfaction to see everyone enjoying their holiday. A lot of members have become my friends. The group has grown to become like one big family.

Unfortunately, sometimes, a problem may crop up. For example something to do with a hotel or a trip, I strive to overcome these problems quickly and it is very satisfying to me to be able to do this. It’s my pleasure to help the deaf members.

So, how were you nominated for this award?

I have been liaising with a few holiday travel companies for a number of years. One of them, Arena Travel, nominated me without telling me!  A representative of Group Leisure & Travel awards emailed me last July asking me numerous questions about my role and what it involves. I answered them and a few weeks later, they told me that I was on a short-list of 4 finalists out of 50 nominations.

I was interviewed on Zoom by four panellists.  My helpful daughter agreed to act as an interpreter. I was very nervous but able to answer their questions fully.  On Wednesday 7th Oct. 2020 it was announced that I had won the award!

How did you feel when you found out you had won?! Were you able to collect the award?

I was gobsmacked!  I was shocked and did not know what to say at first. I was overwhelmed and got very emotional. I even cried a little!  Unfortunately, because of  the COVID-19 restrictions, they could not organise their usual dinner and presentation ceremony at NEC in Birmingham but they sent me a certificate and a beautiful trophy.

The award is very precious to me and I feel honoured and proud to have won it. It means a lot to me. It has inspired me to continue my work and shows that a deaf person can organise successful holidays. It proves that we have the ability to organise anything providing we have full access to information.

Has the Covid pandemic affected your voluntary work?

Yes, unfortunately, COVID-19 has affected my holiday projects severely.  At least five of my holidays this year were cancelled. Some have been rearranged for 2021 and 2022. This in itself was a very difficult task as I had to organise the rearranged dates so they don’t clash with holidays that were already planned for 2021 & 2022.

It has been very stressful and I’ve often had to work until late at night and during weekends.  Some people wanted their money back and some wished to postpone their holidays to another year. I had to liaise regularly with my members and with the tour operators to ensure everyone’s wishes were met. It hasn’t been an easy task and I had to spend a lot of time updating my records. All the work I do is entirely voluntary.

What do you hope to do in the future?

I would like to work for a travel operator.  I would like to be a permanent member of staff on one of the tour operator companies, and run a section specialising in organising travel for deaf people.

Would you like to share any final words?

I would like to thank the members of my Deaf Group Holidays for their support and for coming with me on our holidays because, without them, I would not have won the award.

I would also like to thank Arena Travel for nominating me. I did not expect it and it came as a total surprise to me!

 

 

If you are interested in joining the Deaf Group Holidays or would like to see a holiday programme, please contact Christine via email or text.

bennett.chrissie@gmail.com

Text. 07535 888 692