SHEILA Ware, of York, is the British furniture industry's Sales Person of the Year - and now she is putting her prize - £2,000 worth of travel vouchers - towards a Caribbean cruise.

Her talents for selling kitchens hand over first at MFI in Osbaldwick were spotted by undercover judges from Qualitas, the industry ombudsman organisation, disguised as customers.

Sheila, 47, of Wolviston Avenue, York, then went on to battle it out publicly with two other finalists for the title at the national furniture show at the NEC in Birmingham.

"We were all bombarded with questions by judges, mostly different scenarios to which we had to react. I was determined to win and I did," she says.

Sheila, who celebrated her silver wedding with her husband, Paul, by taking a Caribbean cruise last year never thought she would ever have an opportunity to repeat what was a dream holiday. "Then we visited places like San Juan and St Thomas, but this time we'll stop off in Mexico and Jamaica."

Having worked at MFI in Osbaldwick, her prowess for selling kitchens as well as bedrooms is well-known, so what is her secret? "I suppose it is that I don't want people to think that I am forcing them into buying."

Her boss, Tim Hagues, general manager at MFI in Osbaldwick, said: "Sheila is a perfect example of how people buy people. She is a genuine person, genuinely enthusiastic and knowledgeable."

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.