During the Covid-19 pandemic, the travel industry has been decimated by the biggest public health issue any of us have experienced. Borders have closed, hotels and restaurants shut down, and tourism has almost ceased to exist.   

At the same time, communities across the world who don’t have access to water were faced with unprecedented barriers to halt the spread of Covid and stay safe. Without access to clean water, people were unable to wash their hands and protect themselves from infection. To add to this, when individuals are forced to walk to collect water from rivers and other unsafe sources on a daily basis, they often become sick, holding back development and making it harder for communities to escape the poverty trap. 

With all of this in mind, World Health Day 2022 is more important than ever!

As the first green shoots of recovery have begun within the travel industry, we are actively encouraging industry professionals to unite in a positive effort to build back better and to help raise much needed funds for our continued efforts to bring clean water and sanitation to deprived communities around the world. 

To mark World Health Day 2022, Barrhead Travel are inviting our colleagues, families and friends across the United Kingdom to come Back with a Splash on the week of April 7.  We’d like to invite you to swim, walk, boat or cycle the 42,700 miles of river, canals and inward waterways—all to raise awareness about the importance of clean water, and funds for Just a Drop's incredibly important work. 

For context, Just a Drop was set up by Fiona Jeffery OBE in 1998 when she was the Chairman of the travel industry's global event World Travel Market (WTM). She set up Just a Drop to encourage travel and tourism businesses to give back to the communities they operated in across the world. Since then, with the help of the collective travel industry, the charity has reached 1.9 million people across the world with safe water and sanitation. 

There is no doubt the past two years have been incredibly difficult for everyone in the travel industry. As we begin to see a light at the end of a very long tunnel, as industry professionals, we have the opportunity to re-set our goals and to embrace new, sustainable and more positive ways to conduct our business. 

To take part, please try to raise as much in sponsorship as you can to support Just a Drop's work across the world by making a donation below. Then scroll right down to the bottom of this page to fill in the number of miles you are pledging to do!