THE UK’s largest independent travel agent, Hays Travel, which last year took over Thomas Cook, has been recognised as one of the UK’s top 100 employers.

The prestigious list is published in The Sunday Times and put together by Best Companies, the employee engagement specialists, which survey an organisation’s workforce to examine the ins-and-outs of company life.

The survey revealed how employees really perceived their work environment.

After Thomas Cook, which had a store in Prudhoe, went into administration, Hays Travel stepped in to take over the business.

Hays Travel also has a store in Hexham.

Hays Travel managing director, John Hays, said: “I am absolutely delighted that we have been named as one of The Sunday Times’ Best Companies to Work For in the UK. The company would be nothing without its amazing team, so I am thrilled that we are recognised as having a happy and motivated workforce.”

The Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For in the UK were recognised at a ceremony at Battersea Evolution in London on Thursday, February 20. Best Companies Day takes place on Friday.

Helen Liddle, Hays Travel’s head of human resources, said: “We work hard to make happy, healthy environments for our people to work in and we value our employees’ feedback, investing in their ideas to make the workplace an even better place to be.

“This is a particularly remarkable achievement for the company this year, due to the significant growth we’ve experienced since taking over the Thomas Cook retail portfolio in October 2019. We’re looking forward to joining together to celebrate this year’s success on Best Companies Day, when we will be showing our teams how proud we are of them and how much they are appreciated.”