Mrs Smith (52) has won a trip to South Africa in recognition of her success as one of Sunderland-based Hays Travels' top home-based agents.

It is the second year running she has won the company's gold medal, which is judged on customer service and sales achievements and was contested by around 340 other homeworkers.

Shortly after receiving this award, Mrs Smith learned that she had finished in the top four in the Travel Weekly's Homeworker of the Year awards for the Midlands region.

These are open to all travel companies that employ homeworkers and at least 1,000 agents would have been entered.

"This is based not just on sales but also on general business and personal achievements, customer service, knowledge of the products and performance against targets," she explained.

Although this is Mrs Smith's eighth year as a self-employed homeworker for Hays, she has been in the travel industry since she was 16.

She was born and brought up in Lynn, lives on Bishops Park, Gaywood, and is married to David. They have two daughters.

Her job involves advising clients and booking holidays and breaks which range from long-haul trips to exotic destinations to cruises and to weekend breaks.

Mrs Smith said: "It is a job I absolutely love and I would never want to do anything else. I have arranged some wonderful trips for clients. South Africa is the one destination I always wanted to go to and now I will be going there as my prize,"

The gold medal was presented at the Hays Travel conference and the Homeworker of the Year awards at the midland travel trade ball.