Brian Gibson, Chairman of Hertbeats, a heart disease support group based in St. Albans, Hertfordshire, took 42 of his members to the Champagne region of France in May for a weekend break.

Travelling on the Friday using Buckinghamshire-based coach operator Motts Travel, through which Brian booked the holiday, the group stopped off at the Courcelette Canadian Memorial in the Somme before arriving at the Garden Court Hotel in Reims. “I regularly use Motts Travel and always find the service top-knotch; the hotel was lovely with a beautiful roof-garden restaurant,” he reports.

After a night’s sleep, the group toured Reims and visited the Martel Champagne House in the town. “Reims is such a beautiful place and the Champagne House offered a cracking guided tour,” Brian enthuses.

Finally on the Sunday, the group stopped off at the town of Epernay, where they visited Mercier, a wine cellar. “It was so large we toured it on a train – an unusual twist!” Brian states.