Chevy Kelly, MD of Deckchair.com, a company that works with hotels including Starwood/Marriott, Carlson Rezidor, Sun Resorts and Red Carnation to drive direct traffic through their live destination views, will be doing something a little bit different this WTM. He’ll be running 3 Marathons in 3 Days on a treadmill for WTM’s wonderful charity partner, Just a Drop.
Just a £5 donation to Just a Drop at their stand will give you a reusable water bottle as part of the “This bottle is a life saver promotion” to power you through the show. It will also give you a chance to win the free Deckchair Live Camera and 12 month subscription on offer, giving you stunning hd digital image and video content 24/7/365 days a year from your location. Find Just a drop at S6/N6 in the Main Boulevard with free water refills available from various Ôwater stationsÕ located around the fair. Confirmed water stations this year include Kenya, Trinidad and Tobago, Air Europa, and Affordable Car Hire.
International water development charity Just a Drop celebrates completing its 200th project at World Travel Market 2016, where the charity was launched 18 years ago.
The 200th project, located in Makueni County, Kenya, has brought clean safe water, sanitation and hygiene training to over 13,000 people. The charityÕs 200th project featured the construction of a sand dam, water abstraction shallow well, rock catchment, school water tanks, and hygiene training; together with the establishment of a tree nursery, farm terracing and seed bank. This project has not only enabled the community of 13,000 people to gain access to clean water, it has supported them in creating a better future for themselves by growing crops and trading seeds, helping them to generate an income which will lift them out of poverty.
Charity fundraiser and ÔMarathon ManÕ Chevy Kelly, MD of deckchair.com, will be raising funds for Just a Drop by running a marathon a day for the duration of WTM Ð thatÕs three marathons in three days Ð on a treadmill at the charityÕs stand. All proceeds raised by these fundraising initiatives will enable Just a Drop to provide much needed safe water and sanitation solutions for communities in need.
Fiona Jeffery OBE, Founder and Chairman of Just a Drop said: ÒItÕs hard to believe Just a Drop started 18 years ago with its corporate partnership with World Travel Market. In that time, weÕve successfully provided clean water, sanitation and hygiene education to over 1.3million people in over 30 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America. Since launching the charity in 1998, our focus has been on the sustainability of our projects, and community development; ensuring that thanks to the investment of our funding partners a long term legacy is created which empowers communities to lead healthier, safer and more productive lives. Our 200th project in Makueni County Kenya, is an outstanding example of not only community water provision, but has also led to the growing of drought resistant crops and subsequent market trading ensuring a securer future for over 13,000 people.Ó
Chevy Kelly, MD of Deckchair.com, fundraising for Just a Drop by running marathons at WTM, said: “I discovered that Just a Drop has a long history of bridging the gap between the tourism industry and people in desperate need in the developing world, and this hit a nerve. I am in awe of what they have achieved as an organisation to help communities survive and thrive. When I realised that £1 can literally save a child’s life I thought that if three marathons in three days at WTM could capture people’s imaginations, it’s a very little sacrifice to potentially save thousands of lives, through fundraising.”
Just a Drop was founded at WTM in 1998 by Fiona Jeffery OBE, former Chairman of WTM, as a way of encouraging the travel industry to give back to communities around the world. Fiona chose the cause because water is the most basic of human needs, and she felt that if everyone was encouraged to give a little, then collectively a huge difference could be made. To find out more about Just a Drop, or to make a donation to Chevy’s please visit www.justadrop.org
Top photo: Chevy Kelly, MD of deckchair.com
