ACTS of kindness have been shown to people affected by the collapse of Thomas Cook.

Strangers have reached out to show support to staff after the travel operator failed to secure a last-ditch rescue deal and ceased trading on Monday. About 9,000 UK jobs are at risk, including at stores in York, Selby and Scarborough.

Justine Brook, manager at M&S Vangarde Monks Cross, said: “The Thomas Cook store in Monks Cross is on our doorstep and we’ve built a relationship with the store team over the years. When we heard the news this week, we wanted to help by letting them know about the roles we have available in our store. Those who are interested in learning more are popping in to meet the team to find out about available positions and how to apply this week.”

Anyone interested would follow M&S’s recruitment process.

Thomas Cook customer Lauren Anderson has set up a fundraising page to support staff in Selby. On the page, she wrote: “I am heart broken for the girls in our community, the 12 girls that work across our two Selby stores. I personally have booked holidays through these girls for a long time, and you could tell as soon as you walked through the door that the love and passion they had for their jobs was second to none.

“The girls always had smiles on their faces and would always go above and beyond for their customers.

“Some of the girls have worked at Thomas Cook for over 15 years and through no fault of their own it was taken away from them overnight.

“Their livelihood was just pulled from them in the blink of an eye; these amazing girls still have houses to pay for, families to feed, children to look after and with it coming up to Christmas, this is the worst thing that could happen to them.”

She added: “If we raise at least 2,400 that would give each employee £200. This doesn’t seem a lot but I can guarantee in their position it will mean the world.”

Donate at gofundme.com/f/help-for-the-selby-thomas-cook-girls

On the Random Acts of Kindness - York Facebook page, businesses have also shown support, with High Paradise Farm Tearoom in Thirsk giving away free rooms this week to anyone whose holiday has been cancelled or for Thomas Cook employees.

“It’s not much but hopefully it will put a smile on a few people faces,” they wrote.

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said more than 150 Thomas Cook air crew members who were abroad when the company collapsed have been returned home.

In an update on efforts to bring more than 150,000 people back to the UK, the CAA said 71 flights had operated on Wednesday, bringing back around 17,000 passengers.

Over the course of three days of its operation, part of the largest peacetime repatriation, the CAA said 46,000 people had successfully flown home, around 30 per cent of total holidaymakers.

Of those returning to the UK, 95per cent flew back on the day of their original Thomas Cook flight.

The CAA’s flight programme is due to continue until October 6 with more than 1,000 flights planned in total.

Progress on repatriating comes as MPs called on the Government to take action against Thomas Cook directors and legislate to improve the travel industry.

In the Commons on Wednesday, Tory MP Robert Halfon asked: “Should we not be seizing the assets of the directors who plundered this company and took it to ruin?”

In response, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “To stress to the house, under the 1986 Insolvency Act, the official receiver’s liquidator may indeed seek to overturn a range of transactions made prior to the liquidation and, to be clear, that includes things like these bonuses which are being mentioned.”

People have been warned of scammers targeting those affected by the collapse, offering refunds to those who had lost money from cancelled flights and holidays.