15th May 2008

Last year we celebrated 60 years of Bales. This year filled me with fear as I led up to my own 50th birthday! My goodness even writing that number I stalled. Why does age matter to some of us so much? It is all relative.

My point is that every decade birthday has been an issue – apart from when I was 10! However, now that the birthday is over I feel absolutely fine. I have set myself a year of business and personal challenges. I guess you would be more interested to her about the business ones, as they include you -the reader.

One of my aspirations is to ensure I do a great job of making people understand how absolutely fantastic our holidays are and that you would cheat yourself out of a holiday of a lifetime if you don’t try us – I know that sounds arrogant and it is not meant to be – but we spend most of our working lives planning and considering additional things to add to our services and product to make sure we exceed all your expectations.

I feel devastated and heart broken, as I am sure many of you do, about Myanmar and China. It is so tragic and I feel so helpless. You might say why don’t I do something? Well I would do more if I could but when Tsunami happened in Asia three and a half years ago, Sharon Shoebridge (who works with me at Bales) and I did try. I said Bales would continue to pay our salaries but we could go out and physically help as aid workers- we were rejected with the response we would be more of a hindrance than a help. I actually do not take this personally as dispersions on our characters - after all they didn’t even meet us, it was more that we didn’t have any experience and the necessary qualifications. To Sharon’s great credit – she went on to raise money and two schools have been built in Sri Lanka with the money she raised. She continues to work with them and the community and expand how we can support self help – such as providing employment for women who became widowed by creating something such as lace making.

Is it that we are having more and more tragedies or is it that we have much more awareness of it now because of media coverage and horrific imagery?

I would completely understand people travelling for leisure to these countries may not feel comfortable, but l remember so many times when we have continued to go these countries. Not of course to the area, as there is the safety issue as well as the atrocities that one would witness. Local people , even people you met in the street, would come up and thank us for coming -- - tourism is such an important source of revenue and to lose that in addition to the huge loss further affects the recovery.

We are going to work much closer with the Travel Foundation – having met again with David Cowell who champions this with such passion. To see the amazing support they give to so many projects and areas of the world - see www.thetravelfoundation.org if you are interested.

I guess I need to tell you about at least one of my personal challenges, though I know I was not expansive on the business ones. It is my aim to get fit enough to do the Inca trail this July. I am travelling with Steve my husband and three of our children. I am thrilled that there are now lodges to stay at en route. Rather than taking anything away from the trekking experience I think it enhances it for me – I like the idea of a shower and a comfortable bed for the night. As for training, well I am so behind - what’s new?! Steve, however, has become a new man - after years of vowing that he would never enter a gym, he is there three or four times a week, he has lost three stone in weight and looks amazing – we used to be called Pinky and Perky – now I think it is more Porky and Thiny, the porky title obviously bestowed to me. We have just over two months to go – so I need to step up my near non existence plan for training.

Some people hate the term work/life balance – I don’t but I guess like so many of us, I need to continually work at getting the balance right- it is too work weighted at the moment which is fine but before I know it our two boys will have left the nest and so I should spend more time with them now. I call them boys – they are in fact fine young gentlemen.

I have rambled enough and I’m sure you have many other things to be doing so will sign off now and speak again soon.