The Tui Community Hero Award 2025

Jessica Gardener, director, L&K Travel

This travel agency might still be in its first year of operation, but judges said co-founder Jessica had done more to support and engage the local community in that time than most other agencies manage across many years. 

L&K Travel’s launch in May last year saw Jessica and her co-founder husband Laurie hold a special opening event with a free bouncy castle, ice-cream and a band for local residents, but also took the opportunity to raise money for RNLI Newquay. 

An innovative “Search for the Sun” campaign in August saw Jess put together five hampers of local produce and hide an L&K sun around Newquay in a different location every day, sharing clues in live broadcasts on Facebook Live.  

But it was L&K Travel’s Christmas efforts that really stunned the judges, with the agency running a major “Secret Santa” programme which invited local people to submit a form to request toys, food or gifts for loved ones or children who wouldn’t otherwise receive anything. The local community was then asked to donate money or choose items from an Amazon gift list to help the agency fulfil as many requests as possible. 

Jess handed out more than 250 leaflets, including in a local school, and the project even caught the attention of BBC Spotlight, which sent a crew to interview her. 

In all, L&K Travel delivered 53 gift and food hampers, dropped off 15 Aldi gift cards to the church for those in need, donated 25 new items to a local charity, and donated more than £50 worth of dog food to the RSPCA Newquay. 

In total, more than £1,000 was raised and gifts worth more than £500 were given to deserving recipients. 

Says Jess of her efforts: “We managed to help those in the local community when they needed it most. I am so, so proud of what we have achieved in the short time we have been open and there is no stopping us. We will continue to do as much as we can to help those around us.”