Five agents will initially be chosen to take part in the Get Travel Talking Champions scheme, part of the next phase of the Get Travel Talking campaign – launched by TTG in September 2020 to raise awareness of, and increase support for, mental health challenges facing travel staff.

After partnering with Abta LifeLine in May to host Get Travel Talking Week, this latest step will create a network of mental health ambassadors with the knowledge and confidence to make a real difference. 

The programme will fully fund places for agents on a two-day mental health first aid course run by St John Ambulance. 

After completing their training, agents will become Get Travel Talking Champions and act as ambassadors for better mental wellbeing, whether that’s in their own workplace, with agents in their local area, among fellow consortia members, or by providing support to someone new. 

The voluntary role is about being there to listen, offer support to those who need it, and guiding people to the right services – such as Abta LifeLine – when more specialist help is required. continued support.

Tom Parry, TTG deputy news editor and Get Travel Talking founder, said: “It’s a privilege to continue our collaboration with Abta LifeLine and keep up the momentum around such an important subject.

“We wanted to create this opportunity for independent agents as we know resources have never been tighter, and because the need to keep looking out for each other is equally as vital.

Our hope, in time, is to forge a network of Get Travel Talking Champions to support and encourage others and create something positive and useful out of such a difficult time for the industry – and especially frontline agents.”

Abta LifeLine director Trudie Clements added: “Over the past 18 months, we’ve had more applications in asking for support specifically for mental health challenges. By training people as mental health first aiders, we really believe we’ll be able to help colleagues and support them better in the workplace. 

Our Get Travel Talking Champions will have a crucial role, now more than ever, and will help to address the ongoing taboos around mental health challenges.”

The scheme was launched at The Travel Industry Awards 2021 by TTG in London on Thursday (30 September) where, alongside a collection for the charity, headline partner Virgin Atlantic and sister brands Virgin Voyages and Virgin Hotels also auctioned off prizes for the cause.

Each training course place costs around £400 per person, with the money raised at the awards going towards LifeLine being able to offer this opportunity to more agents in future.

Currently, agents must belong to an Abta member agency to join the programme.

Anyone interested in finding out more or becoming a champion should contact Trudie Clements at tclements@abta.co.uk