A TRAVEL agency branch in Evesham is celebrating after helping to raise more than £17,000 during the last 12 months for a sustainable tourism charity.

The Midcounties Co-operative Travel inside Co-operative Food on Evesham High Street helped to raise the money by committing 50p to The Travel Foundation for every holiday booking, which was combined with support from generous holidaymakers who embraced a £1 opt-in donation scheme when choosing their trip.

The Travel Foundation, an independent UK charity, funds and manages projects which improve the wellbeing of communities living in holiday destinations, protect the environment and enrich the tourism experience.

The charity will be using the funds raised by all Co-operative Travel branches for a variety of projects across the world.

Tracy Sheldon, branch manager at Co-operative Travel in Evesham, said: "Sustainable tourism is extremely important to us and we’re committed to making a donation to the charity after every booking.

"This, alongside the generosity of our customers, means we’re very proud to be able to make such a substantial donation to The Travel Foundation and continue to help the charity support local communities across the world."

Customers can now also support the Travel Foundation by purchasing a £2 Travel Lottery ticket.