Pippa’s Guardians has been well placed to swiftly and calmly respond to the escalating Coronavirus crisis.
Supporting our anxious parents and helping our students to return home as quickly and safely as possible has been our priority, whilst providing safe and reassuring host family accommodation for those students who remain in the UK.
Our business model of experienced, local Area Managers, personally caring for every individual student, along with a network of caring host families, has been instrumental in us successfully responding to the ever-changing Covid 19 situation.
As the key point of contact for our parents, dedicated Pippa’s Guardians staff have turned into travel agents and worked all hours with our travel partners and HO team to organise many complex short notice travel plans.
Our 24/7 emergency support has meant that some parents have called us in the middle of the night and we have arranged for their child to be travelling to the airport within a matter of hours to safely catch an elusive flight.
Social media has enabled us to quickly alert parents when extra seats on flights have been released, whilst WhatsApp and WeChat channels have been buzzing with photos and good news stories of our students finally being reunited with their relieved parents.
By keenly staying abreast of ever-changing travel restrictions, we continue to navigate the minefield of international travel that we are now faced with.
Area Managers who are on the ground and close to their students have been well-placed, during these challenging times, to be able to prepare young people for their journeys, not only with the normal pocket money top-ups but also protective clothing and equipment.
Small things like this have meant so much to worried families, and we have been overwhelmed with the messages of thanks they have sent to us as we have arranged their children’s safe transit.
“We want to express our deepest gratitude to you and your team for helping and assisting our son and daughter in this unprecedented situation, giving them and us all the support you could in a very responsive and reliable way,” wrote one parent. “A special thanks to your Area Manager, Sam, for personally attending to them at Heathrow and seeing them through security. Pippa’s Guardians has demonstrated the highest professionalism and dedication in this difficult time. We appreciate it very much.”
As another child landed safely in Hong Kong, their relieved parents emailed to say: “With the excellent support of your Area Manager Vicky, my child has returned to Hong Kong safely. Everything is fine. We would like to express our gratitude to you and Vicky for the frequent updates with us on the latest development and the way forward, most importantly followed by Vicky’s excellent support. All these are so important to us and you have greatly relieved our anxiety.”
Messages like this make everything we do at Pippa’s Guardians worthwhile. Of course some students have planned to remain in the UK and they have been welcomed into the homes of our dedicated host families who will care for them during these challenging times for as long as required.
Our host families are the heart and soul of Pippa’s Guardians and we have many parents and schools who are so grateful to know that their child or student is safe and being well looked after.
Going the extra mile is part of the day job for us at Pippa’s Guardians. The past few weeks have allowed us to demonstrate this to our parents, schools and agents who trust us to care for their young people.
