Shirley Tours founder Shirley Ward has been awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the Queen’s Birthday Honours List for voluntary service to the community in Upminster and Cranham, Essex.
A long-standing member of the Group Travel Organisers Association (GTOA), Ward organises group trips through her company to destinations including Lake Bled and Lake Como and river cruises on the Rhine and Amsterdam.
"I had a letter asking if I would be willing to accept it and I was dumbstruck," she said.
"It is a great honour and I am extremely grateful to be recognised in this way."
