The total is in for WDF’s charity for last year – and it’s fantastic news. Together, staff raised a staggering £95,000 for the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association which will be made up to £100,000 by MD Mark Riches. This total will sponsor one pup for life and a further 12 for their training period of 18 months.

“We’re really pleased – this means that each terminal plus will have their own puppy to sponsor in addition to the WDF pup for life,” explains Gatwick’s Lynda Armstrong. “We want staff to continue to be involved with their pup and will be giving each location the task of naming their own. And we will be asking all the terminals for their ideas for a name for WDF’s dog for life. Of course we’ll be following the progress of all the pups as they train too so even though the fundraising is over, we’ll stay involved with this great cause.”

A lucky lot from Glasgow enjoyed a great trip to the Orkney Islands as their reward for winning the World of Whiskies Highland Park incentive. Not only did they tour the Highland Park distillery and sample fine whiskies, but extreme weather meant their stay was extended by an extra night.

“The airport was closed due to high winds,” explains Robert Bogle, category manager liquor, tobacco and fragrance. “Staff at the visitors’ centre said they were the windiest conditions they had ever known.”

The team visited some of the many buildings and archaeological sites left by the Vikings, who lived on the islands for hundreds of years. “It was fantastic,” enthuses Robert, “We visited a stone settlement featured in Billy Connolly’s TV show.” Despite the weather, GM Carol Neaves concludes: “It was a great trip with everyone enjoying themselves. I must thank everyone from Highland Park for looking after us so well, especially for the extra night.”

They say ‘a dog is for life’ and WDF is proving that it’s got more than a soft spot for our furry friends with its continued support for The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association.

And to show their appreciation, three pups in training raced into the World Duty Free's head office for a hair-raising dash round the desks, only pausing to meet staff, including Managing Director Mark Riches. Luckily the puppy walkers were on hand to ensure no shoes, pens or vital documents got chewed up!

WDF will total up the funds raised across the terminals in December – and backed with the company’s £10k donation – decide how best to use the cash. Gatwick’s admin manager Lynda Armstrong, who was instrumental in linking up with the charity, says: “At present we have raised over £62,000 which is already enough to sponsor one dog for life and four more for their training. However, I have been talking to the charity and suggested we could change our approach and maybe sponsor as many pups for training as possible, to get more guide dogs out in the field.”

Six lucky staff found themselves in pole position when they won a Rayban incentive. Their prize for beating sales targets was a day out at Honda’s Formula One centre at Brackley. They enjoyed a champagne reception and toured the factory where F1 cars are built. After lunch they tried their skills out on a F1 simulator and were introduced to top F1 driver Jenson Button.

Admin assistant Chaminda Ariyaratne, who attended with his T2 colleague, Customer Service Assistant (CSA) Magda Jerzykowska, says: “I always follow the sports news so it was great to see Honda’s racing operation. Not many people get to meet Jenson Button either.” Also there were CSAs Lai Wong and Dinesh Patel from T4 and Joanne Coleman and Minal Pitrola from the World Business Centre. And they were given a miniature helmet signed by Jenson, and a goody bag to take away as a memento.

Heathrow’s driving force on Sekonda watch sales were at the wheel again when they went to Wildtracks activity park in Newmarket, Suffolk. The wining team from Terminal Two were joined by runner-up colleagues from Stansted and Edinburgh on the prize trip. They took part in go-karting, four-wheel drive off-roading and even had the chance to take the controls of a single-seater hovercraft – on grass. Customer Service Leader Jim Cole said ‘it was brilliant fun, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the day.’

Eight members of the Edinburgh team enjoyed a fantastic trip to the Isle of Jura to visit the Jura distillery, as a reward for their success in a recent promotion. Customer Service Assistant Val Ware-Lewis recorded her impressions of the trip.

Day 1: We flew from Glasgow to Islay, and then caught the ferry to the breathtaking Isle of Jura. As we rode bikes or walked through this picturesque community the locals greeted us with a friendly wave and cheery ‘hello’.

Day 2: We took our tour of the Jura Distillery guided by Willy Cochran, the font of all knowledge in making this special brew. After the tour we tried our hand at clay pigeon shooting and I’m pleased to say all members returned alive – although the local wildlife did go into hiding! The evening was spent sipping champagne at the water’s edge, and at the lodge we had our own French chef preparing a final farewell meal, so the order of the evening was good food, good drink and good company.

Day 3: Looking out over the final sunrise, I can honestly say that Edinburgh World Duty Free certainly had an amazing time.

Congratulations to our Heathrow Terminal One team at World of Whiskies who sold their £10,000 bottle of 1937 Glenfiddich earlier this month. Jane Shortland made the sale along with a 40-year-old Glenfiddich at £850. This now means that there are only two bottles left in circulation in the entire world – one of which belongs to Gatwick South!

When it came to the World Duty Free 10th birthday celebrations everyone was willing to fight for their right to party! Store teams set about organising events to make sure all shifts and staff got their slice of fun…and cake. That meant that many chose to split their celebrations over a few days. And with the promise of a good chinwag, a bountiful buffet, some fun decorations and a toast or two, staff couldn’t stay away.

Gatwick South Customer Service Leader Monica Apellaniz used her training to try to cheer up top Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal. The ‘King of Clay’ was passing through with his family on his way back to Majorca, the day after his defeat in the Wimbledon final. Monica was on duty at 5am when she met him. She had been to Wimbledon and watched a couple of his matches.

‘Not many people around noticed him because he looks like a normal 21-year-old boy. I just said hello and congrats for reaching the final and he said he was still a bit down and that it would take him time to recover. I used my Think Customer training to try and motivate him and tried to cheer him up. He’s extremely down-to-earth and didn’t mind at all when I asked one of my colleagues to take a pic with my mobile camera.’