A Richmond travel agent is the first winner of a new award presented by one of the country's leading cruise firms.

Sealand Cruise Centre, in Richmond market place, has only been specialising in the cruise market for the past three years, but has still been named regional agent of the first quarter of 2001 by Cunard Seabourn.

Cunard's regional sales manager, Mr Simon Holden, went to Sealand Cruises' office to present the silver plaque last week.

"I've known companies which have been in the market for decades and have not managed to reach the level of sales achieved by the seven people who work in this office. It is truly a remarkable feat,'' he said.

Sealand's manager, Jean Merry, a former employee of our sister paper, The Northern Echo, said the decision to concentrate purely on cruises had proved a good move.

"It really is a boom market at the moment,'' she said. "It used to be said that you had to be rich to afford a cruise but people are beginning to realise that is not the case any more."