Loss of jobs sparks travel firm launch
TRAVEL experts Dawn Gamble and Jill Kilgariff have set up in business together after being made redundant from the jobs they loved.
Their firm, TravelAdmin4u, offers a range of services including dealing with client documentation, balance reminders, welcome home letters and day-to-day administrative tasks for travel agents and call centres.
The pair met while working at The Co-operative Travel head office, below, in Burslem where they looked after the Freedom Travel Group, a consortium of independent travel agents.
When the Burslem centre closed in March 2012, Jill went to work in insurance and Dawn took a job at the Mid Counties Co-op Travel Centre based in Walsall.
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But they missed their old jobs and so decided to make use of their combined experience of more than 40 years and branch out by themselves.
Dawn, of Sneyd Green, said: “We both love working in the industry doing the administration work for agents and call-centres enabling them to concentrate on the core sales side of their businesses.
“We had kept in close contact after leaving and starting our own business, offering a proven and much needed service, seemed a logical step.”
TravelAdmin4u, based in Newcastle, has already signed up its first three clients and talks are being held with more potential customers.
Jill, of Norton, said: “It seemed a real shame to let all our experience and love of the travel business go to waste.
“We are both really excited about our new venture.”
Dawn and Jill benefited from start-up advice from North Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce’s Business Initiative.
Business adviser Peter Ball said: “It’s great to work with people like Dawn and Jill who have not only a great business idea but the experience and determination to make the business a success.”
Karin Roberts, director of City Travel in Denbighshire, north-east Wales, has known Dawn and Jill for 10 years and is now among TravelAdmin4u’s clients.
She said: “Their service allows me to get on with developing my business while knowing that my administration is being looked after by a very capable team.”
In 2011, the Co-operative announced that it was to restructure as a result of a merger between its travel business and Thomas Cook.
Its Hamil Road site was previously The Co-operative Travel’s headquarters, but all 80 travel jobs were transferred to Thomas Cook’s Peterborough site.
Contact TravelAdmin4u at jdtravelbackoffice@gmail.com.
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