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'Fired' Spalding apprentice overjoyed to be rehired




A Spalding travel industry apprentice was "fired" and rehired within days when Thomas Cook's UK shops were rescued by Hays Travel.

Ellie Seymour (17), from Spalding, joined Thomas Cook on September 9 but her dreams crashed when the company went bust on September 23.

Ellie's tears turned to joy yesterday when she resumed her apprenticeship in the Spalding Market Place shop.

Back on board - apprentice Ellie Seymour, manager Lisa Farrell and Mandy Summers
Back on board - apprentice Ellie Seymour, manager Lisa Farrell and Mandy Summers

She said: "I was trying to look for other jobs but there was nothing out there to do with travel and then, obviously Hays stepped in that morning - it was all over the news they had bought all the stores - and it was like my faith had been restored."

Hays Travel bought more than 555 former Thomas Cook shops on October 9 and said it would re-employ on many as possible of the former 2,500 strong UK workforce.

Ellie will be joined by former Spalding colleague Jocelyn Hiley.

Three former colleagues have left but also currently manning the Spalding shop are ex Thomas Cook employees Lisa Farrell, from Moulton, who will manage Hays Travel in Boston, and Mandy Summers, from Weston Hills, who worked at Thomas Cook's head office in Peterborough and will join Lisa in Boston.

Mandy said: "It was the worst day of our lives being in head office to be told that you have no longer got a job.

"I was one of the lucky ones because I got retained by the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) to help bring back all of the customers but it was horrible seeing colleagues walking out of the door crying and upset."

More than 120,000 holidaymakers were stranded abroad when Thomas Cook collapsed.

Lisa described the collapse of Thomas Cook as "absolutely devastating", and says staff were just as upset for customers as they were for themselves and colleagues.

She said: "We were booking holidays right up to the last minute and we were absolutely in shock for the customers."

Lisa, Mandy and Ellie expect to start taking bookings soon but meanwhile they are welcoming customers to chat about the wider choice of holidays available.

Mandy said: "We want to say a massive thank you to Hays Travel - we wouldn't be here without John and Irene (Hays) - I think we all really can't wait to get going and booking holidays to show them how much we appreciate it, really."



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