In this issue’s My Working Day feature, editor Leanne Fawcett chats to Seaside Travel’s Regional Sales Managers Donna Baker and Rebecca Rutter about their roles overseeing the company’s 13 North East branches, managing a team of over 30 people each and what they love most about their jobs…
EDB. Firstly, tell us a little about your backgrounds prior to starting at Seaside Travel.
- I started in the travel industry 37 years ago, on a YTS scheme straight from school. I can remember it was all I wanted to do.
This was for a company called Lincoln Travel, actually working for the dad of a lady Gwen, who works at Seaside Travel in the Wingate branch.
I was at Lincoln Travel for nine years, until it closed in 1997. I then went to work for Oakley Travel for 10 years.
In 2007 I took a break from the travel industry to work for my husband Sean’s dad’s building business. It suited me as I had three young boys so having a bit more flexibility worked for me,
I did that for a few years before going back into travel, and in 2020 I came to work for Seaside Travel.
- Like Donna I came into the industry pretty much straight from school, starting as an apprentice at Thomas Cook in Spennymoor before moving to the Metro Centre branch and then onto Bishop Auckland where I was Customer Services Manager. I worked for the company for 16 years.
I then had my first daughter, Ava in 2009, so I took some maternity leave and when I wanted to come back to work I really just wated something part time. So I stepped back from the CSM manager role and transferred to the Durham branch, where I stayed until I left the job 10 years ago.
In 2017 I had my second daughter, Darcey, and after maternity leave I started as a home worker for Hays Travel. In 2021 I moved to Holiday Village, also as a home worker.
In 2023 the opportunity to manage the Wingate branch a Seaside Travel came up and I knew it was the right job for me. I also moved around a fair it in the company, managing branches in Fishburn and Hartlepool as we started expanding and opening more branches.
I then moved into a training and development role.
By April of last year Seaside Travel had 13 branches and Nicola (Evans Park, owner) decided she needed to create a Senior Management Team to give that top level structure and help drive continued growth.
So Donna and I were made Regional Sales Managers, me covering the branches in the west and Donna looking after those in the east.
EDB. What does the role involve?
- I oversee six shops in Wingate, Hartlepool, Guisborough, Fishburn, Prudhoe and Amble, so a typical week would involve me travelling between the shops, making sure the teams are okay and covering sickness absence if needed.
There’s no such thing as typical day, and the job isn’t 9-5. First thing on a morning I’m on emails to see if there are any issues that need addressing, or if a branch needs extra support which might involve a visit that day.
A lot of time is spent on the roads but I really like that, and means the role is so diverse, you never fully know what your day will look like as you need to respond to the needs of each branch.
We also have targets to meet as RSM’s, and that means being on top of sales across my portfolio and giving support as required.
And every day we have a team talk so we all know what each other are working on.
- I manage the seven branches in the west of the region, which are Bishop Auckland, Haltwhistle, Boldon, Sacriston, Lanchester and Lowfell. I also have Easington, which although is in the east comes under my remit.
I try to visit every branch at least once a week, spending time with the manager and the team to see what the pressure points are and if there are areas they need some additional help with. Some of the branch managers are very experienced so need less support, while others are new so I’ll give them more support to ensure they’re hitting their targets.
We also have regional travel events to cover, and recently we were at Newcastle Airport for a big launch which took me out of the business for most of the day. But I love it. I love attending the events, seeing what’s new and catching up with people I’ve worked with over the years.
EDB. The company has really grown over the past few years hasn’t it?
- Yes, Nicola started out with just the one branch in Easington and now there are 13 across the region. She’s done so well and Seaside Travel is so recognised now, everywhere you go people know the brand and the people who work here.
- She’s grown in the right way, with the right people, and that’s the key thing. She’s built a business that’s worked – people love Seaside Travel, they trust us when booking their holidays and they come back to us time and time again.
EDB. What do you love most about the job?
- Probably how versatile it is. No two days are the same so it makes the job so varied. Because I am on the roads a lot, I feel like every day goes so quickly, sometimes too quickly.
- I love being out and about and working closely with the branches that I manage. We also get to manage our own time and I like that; we’re trusted to work autonomously but we still have our targets to meet.