The beginning of 2025 brought us snow, ice, airport closures and out of the ordinary challenges. Students and parents were calling us, flights were cancelled and diverted.
With these severe weather disruptions going on, we had to put some strategic contingency plans in place to keep our students safe. The response we received from our host families and taxi companies was impressive and reminds us how incredible they all are.
Despite all the challenges, we were able to remain calm which was, no doubt, reassuring to our students and overseas parents. The situation showcased how vital the role of guardianship is as all students remained safe and reached their destinations with the minimum stress possible.
The day began at 04:00 for our Duty Manager Cory. Manchester airport had begun closing the majority of its runways due to the weather, and began diverting it flights to different airports around the UK.
Some of our students were diverted to Dublin, some to Heathrow and others to Luton, meaning we needed to think on our feet and make sure we had host families on stand-by around those key airports. We had to change taxi transfer arrangemens and make lots of re-bookings.
Our Duty Managers worked into the night and into Monday morning. Communication and teamwork made this possible and they dealt with over 100 calls each that day.
The job of the Duty Managers, Cory and Annie, was aided by how accommodating our host families were. They understood that the plans we were putting in place might change as the day unfolded and were happy being on standby for us should we need them. It really helped out.
A feature of our guardianship service is our 24 hour helpline support team. They really came into their own for the January arrival, fielding calls from schools, parents, students, taxi companies and host families.
Such an achievement is a testament to our dedicated and experienced guardianship team.
For host families, days like these are a reminder of the importance of their role within the guardianship organisation. Your warm welcoming homes & flexibility are what makes it possible for us to provide this level of service.
Thank you from us all.
To find out how to become a host family, and for a copy of our handbook, please contact our team direct on+44 (0)1273 835745 or fill in our online enquiry form below and we'll get back to you.
Find out all you need to know about becoming a host family for Bright World by reading our FAQ.