WORCESTER travel agent Catherine Thorburn is someone who is going far.

Her commitment to offering customers the very best possible travel advice has paid off and she has been recognised as one of the UK's top performers.

Mrs Thorburn has been awarded gold status by her employers Travel Counsell-ors PLC. The firm - one of the UK's largest independent travel companies - has more than 750 agents throughout the country, but Mrs Thorburn is one of a select few to have been awarded gold, which means she is one of the Queen's Award-winning agency's top performers. Exceptional customer service has been the key to her success.

She said: "I love my job and it's great to be recognised by my company for all my hard work. I always try to give my customers the best possible service which means that once people book with me they rarely go back to the high street."

Working from home using award-winning technology allows Mrs Thorburn to be available at the time that is most convenient to the customer, including during the evenings and at weekends.

Travel Counsellors places all customer money in a financial trust and payments are 100 per cent protected from supplier failure.

Founded in 1994, the firm was also named UK's Best Travel Agent at the 2006 Guardian, Observer and Guardian Unlimited travel awards.