Travelodge ‘Green Day’ raises £30,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support

THIS impressive sum was a result of Travelodge HQ in Thame’s fourth, annual Green Day fundraiser, so-called because of the charity’s official brand colour.

At the event, held at Thame Town Cricket Club last Wednesday, August 17, staff pitted their wits against each other in a range of fun activities throughout the day which included a welly wanging competition, a scavenger hunt, a tug of war and the annual cricket match which this year was held between the Travelodge head office team, the company’s tax advisors, FTI Consultancy, and the company’s energy consultants, Smart Metering Systems (SMS). The match was won by the Travelodge head office team

Peter Gowers, Travelodge, ‎Chief Executive Officer with Colin Cousins, Sleepeezee, Finance Director and Sally Hill, Partnership Manager, Macmillan Cancer Support

Included in the £30,000 raised, was a donation of £20,000 from Travelodge’s bed manufacturer, Sleepeezee who produce the company’s popular luxurious king-size, Travelodge Dreamer bed – which has been installed into all of Travelodge’s  38,287 Rooms.

As the bed is so popular with customers, Travelodge and Sleepeezee have made the bed available for people to purchase and for every bed sold, Sleepeezee makes a donation towards Macmillan. The £20,000 donation payment was for Travelodge Dreamer beds sold during the last ten months.

Over 250 people attended Travelodge Green Day which included head office staff and their family and friends. For the first time ever, Travelodge held its own version of Crufts where thirteen dogs participated in the dog show with categories including Best in show, waggiest tail, dog agility, skills and walk to heel.

Meg, the Border Collier who won the dog show

Meg, the Border Collie, aged two years old, won Travelodge Crufts, scoring the highest marks overall. Meg won for scoring highly in all of the challenges, especially in skills and the agility round.

Tom Edwards, Travelodge, Revenue Director,said: “Our annual Green Day is a great opportunity for team building and raising money for our nominated charity. We are a competitive bunch and this year, the head office functions really went above and beyond and organised some truly innovative activities. We had an amazing day, full of fun and laughter and most importantly we raised a lot of money, for a truly deserving cause. I would like to thank everyone for their efforts and support and especially the manufacturers of our Travelodge Dreamer Bed, Sleepeezee, who boosted our total to £30,000, this year with their donation of £20,000.

“Since the charity partnership was launched in 2013, Travelodge’s 10,000 staff members across the company’s 515 UK hotels and at the head office in Thame have raised over £750,000 for Macmillan Cancer Support to help people affected by cancer.”

Sally Hill, from Macmillan Cancer Support said: “We are so grateful for all the support Travelodge staff have given to Macmillan. Their dedication and enthusiasm will ensure that no one has to face cancer alone and we look forward to their continued support.”

Colin Cousins, Sleepeezee, Finance Director, concluded: “Sleepeezee is delighted to participate in this year’s Travelodge Green Day and donate £20,000 to the company’s nominated charity, Macmillan Cancer Support. This donation is the result of a successful partnership between Sleepeezee and Travelodge and is a measure of customer satisfaction with the Travelodge Dreamer bed.”