Thomas Cook collapse: Family's Disney dream saved by donations
- Published
Harrington and Hudson met their favourite Disney characters
A family who feared they had lost their once-in-a-lifetime trip to Disneyland Paris have thanked anonymous donors for making their "dream come true".
Leanne Jones had to tell her two young sons the holiday was cancelled when Thomas Cook collapsed, as £800 of vouchers she had saved were worthless.
But after BBC Three Counties listeners chipped in, a travel agent booked the festive break for the family of four.
Ms Jones, from Milton Keynes, said the visit was "magical from start to end".
Along with partner Alex, she had been saving to take their sons Harrington, four, and Hudson, two, on the trip for two years.
They were just £150 short of meeting their £2,300 target when the holiday firm went under in September.
After the family's bad luck was publicised, £800 was raised on a crowdfunding page and Sean Fletcher, from Travel Four Seasons in Hemel Hempstead, covered the rest to book the holiday.
Ms Jones thanked people for their "amazing" generosity, adding: "It really has shown that people do care and there are still people out there willing to help. It's so lovely to see."
Leanne Jones' son Harrington, four, fulfilled his dream of meeting Aladdin
Ms Jones said seeing Harrington meet his hero Aladdin during the trip earlier this week was a "special moment".
"The most amazing thing was watching his face light up as he walked through Disneyland Paris," she said.
"After he left Aladdin me and my partner were wiping the tears away. It was everything and more, that was exactly the moment we wanted."
Travel agent Mr Fletcher said he had felt moved to help because he was part of the "travel family".
"When bad things happen it affects us all," he said.
"It's fantastic to get the feedback from Leanne that they had a wonderful time."
Donations helped her children's "dream come true", said Leanne Jones
- Published23 September 2019
- Published23 September 2019
