The widow of a travel agent killed in a car crash held back the tears as she collected an award recognising his hard work.
Beaver Travel, which has branches in Elgin and Forres, beat 500 other contenders from across the UK to be named “top of the shops” in the industry TTG Top 50 awards.
Ian Widdowson was a director of the business, alongside his wife Fiona.
But the 59-year-old, who was also chairman of the annual Piping at Forres event, was killed in a two car crash outside Kinloss on New Year’s Day.
His staff were devastated at the loss, and after she picked up the travel agent’s accolade at the awards do in Birmingham, Mrs Widdowson paid tribute to them for their efforts in the weeks after the tragedy.
She said: “It was hard for everyone. That’s why the award is not only a tribute to Ian, but also the incredibly hard working team.
“They’ve really gone above and beyond in the last few months to carry on the business. It was tough for them too, as well as me.”
“It was pretty tough to keep going during the ceremony. There were lots of tissues later in the evening.”
Beaver Travel has branches for Forres and Elgin and was recognised in the “top of the shops” category for the welcome they provide for customers.
As well as selling holidays, the business also runs coffee shops in the branches to encourage return visits. The firm still believes the high street can be king.
Mrs Widdowson said: “We are not the kind of dowdy, scruffy-looking shop that people are going to walk past and will end up closed in a year’s time.
“There is an awful lot of doom and gloom said about high streets, particularly in Elgin, but it doesn’t have to be like that.
“We do a lot of work to make sure we stay ahead of the game. We were the first travel agency in the United Kingdom to have a coffee shop.”
