Former Telford Thomas Cook staff give holiday advice from cafe
Staff from a branch of Thomas Cook have given up their time to give advice to customers in a cafe.
The former team in Telford, Shropshire, said they had been locked out of their shop since the travel firm collapsed on Monday. Despite losing their jobs, they said they were determined to help their "loyal" customers. Some customers who stopped by said they just wanted to say goodbye to the team who had become "like friends". Staff posted a note on the now-closed shop advising customers they would be in the cafe to answer questions on Saturday. They said they were "overwhelmed" by the positive reaction and how many people came to see them. "When we put up the sign we thought we might have two or three people, but we have had so many messages," store manager Kimberley Jeffries said. Her colleague, Ian Crampsie, said it was a real "shock" when the store shut. "I feel sad for the company, we had so many friends and so many good memories," he said. "We wanted to come here partly because we didn't have the chance to say goodbye to all our customers." Kayleigh Barnes, aged 20 and from Telford, came for advice on reclaiming what she had paid for a planned trip to Thailand. "Fair play to them for coming because they basically don't have the job anymore," she said. Peter Mays and his wife Julie said they had "a good relationship with all the staff". The couple, from Little Dawley, have booked their annual holiday through Thomas Cook since 1995 and had two breaks arranged through the company when it folded, which they have since rebooked with another firm. "We just wanted to say we were sorry they had lost their jobs," Mr Mays said. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone.