Our dream business grew out of a nightmare

HOLIDAY FIRM IS BOOMING AFTER CANCER ORDEAL

DECIDING to take a huge gamble and put a large sum of money into a new business is no easy decision.

Huddersfield couple Rachael and Colman Coyne thought about it long and hard over a number of years.

Little did they know that just three months after finally taking the plunge they would receive some devastating news.

The couple met when they both worked for West Yorkshire Police. Colman was a detective sergeant at the busy Bradford South division, as it was then, a district that covered the city centre and areas including Holmewood, Buttershaw and Bierley.

Rachael was helpdesk supervisor at the same police station, The

Tyrls, an eye-catching building with black glass windows which stood opposite City Hall. It has since been demolished after the police moved their Bradford team into the brand-new Trafalgar House, just a few streets away.

In their respective roles Rachael and Colman dealt with some of the worst and most traumatic periods in people’s lives. It was a relentless job. No two days were the same, but the common thread was that whatever situation they were dealing with, it meant misery and heartache for someone.

It must be easy for a job like this to take its toll and the couple were keen to help provide something for officers in the station, and their families, to look forward to in their down time.

This came in the form of the Bradford South Police Sports and Social Club, which is where, looking back, the seed of the idea for Rachael and Colman’s future business was formed. Colman became event organiser for the social club and in that role, despite having no previous experience in the travel industry, he organised trips for thousands of police officers, staff and their families all over the world.

As Colman approached 30 years of police service, the point at which he could retire, the couple began to think more seriously about how their love of travel could become a business.

After months of research they decided to take on a franchise with a relatively new company, called Not Just Travel. They would be their own bosses with the added benefit of support and experience from a larger company. But it meant a large financial outlay and it took a leap of faith from Colman