**TAC Group Leader of the Year Awards**

I would like to nominate Prabin Lakhe as team leader of the year. He was our guide on the Lhasa overland trip and has excellent local knowledge of both Nepal and Tibet. His enthusiasm and passion for Nepal in particular was infectious. I became ill on the trip and he took really good care of me and arranged alternative excursions for me so I would not miss out. It felt like we were on holiday with a good friend, I couldn't praise him more highly!

Cigdem was our guide on the Turkey Adventure week. A good adventure holiday depends on a lot of things, activities, weather but most of all the group. It takes a lot to bring 15 total strangers together, to make them feel at ease - people from different countries, of different ages, economic levels, beliefs etc. To bond a group so different into a unit is what turns an ordinary adventure holiday into the holiday of a lifetime. Cigdem was the glue that bonded our group together. From our first night in Turkey, no from the moment we got off the plane she set about building freindships that have lasted well beyond Dalman. Its no shock to the people that met her that most of us continue to visit each other - a number of my English friends have visited me in Dublin.Many of us have met Cigdem since our return from Turkey, people go out of their way to meet her, because she always went out of her way to make our holiday perfect.

Cheers Cigdem

I would like to nominate Cigdem, the guide on the Turkey Adventure week I recently went on. She was very knowlegable, helpful and really good fun to be with. Nothing was too much for her and I feel she went above and beyond to ensure everyone had a fantastic holiday. Thanks Cigdem x

I'd also like to vote for Cigdem. She managed to get the whole group to bond and everyone had a great holiday. Tour leaders can make or break a holiday, and Cigdem certainly made ours! She certainly went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that our holiday was really good fun, but also that we learnt something about the local culture.
Thanks Cigdem.

Thank you all for your nominations! At present our two most popular leaders with the most nominations are Cigdem from Turkey (several of which are above) and with an equal amount of nominations Mohamed Refaat (aka. 'Nemo') from Egypt. It's great to see all the wonderful feedback! Please keep them coming!

Never had a duff Tour leader with Adventure Co ~ of my trips this year both Haasani (Zanzibar & Selous) and Vladimir ( Salsa Cubana) delivered well over normal expectations. Haasani gave me my most successful game viewing day ever ~ increadible spotter of wild life whilst driving and a great enthusiast. But, it was just me in the safari vehicle so I guess it's not so appropriate to allow this to score highly as a group rating. Vladimir bubbled humour and knowledge where ever we went. An actor and lover of Cuban music. He rearranged to tour to allow us more time in Baracoa by flying back from there instead of driving back across the mountains to Santiago. And, of course he stepped in to arrange my accommodation and flight home when I was held back in Havana for 10 days due to the vocanic ash cloud. A close choice ~ as a group rating Vladimir has to be my nominee.

I would like to nominate Surya (AKA Sunny) who was my guide on the Everest Base Camp Trek. He made my trip perfect- simple as that!
He showed a high level of compassion and care to all members of the group to ensure we all acheive our dreams safely. When people became unwell his level of care was exceptional and he did all he could to get people to base camp. He constantly had a smile on his face and was always making us laugh. His knowledge was superb. I was lucky enough to celebrate my birthday on this trip and he made it very special even managing to produce a cake, it is a birthday i will never forget. If there were ever any problems he would go out of his way to sort them not matter how small they were just to make the trip better. He went beyond what was required and i cannot thank him enough for making my trip perfect. Sunny to win!!

Sunny, as our group leader on the ebc Sep 2010 was inspirational, i always felt he was my persoonal guide for the whole trip, as i suspect did the other 14 people ! Exceptional local knowledge, encouragement and nothing was ever too much trouble. You knew everything he did was in tune with giving us the trip of a lifetime and enabled us all to get to base camp. I would wish Sunny on everyone who goes to Nepal, I'd always consider a trip that he was leading. Thanks Sunny, you made my trip.

I’d like to nominate Surya (Sunny) who was the group leader for my Everest Base Camp Trek, September 2010. He made what would have been an unforgettable experience an even better one! From day one he always had a smile on his face and made sure all of us were ok and had everything we needed. His knowledge was fantastic and the trip ran smoothly because of his organisational capabilities. Once we hit altitude and people began to get ill he upped his level of care to make sure we all could achieve our goals of base camp but at the same time making sure everyone was well enough for it! The trip would not have been the same without Surya as my guide, he made it the best adventure holiday I have ever been on.

I'd like to vote for Cigdem. She was great fun and did her best to ensure everybody in the group bonded together. My great memories from our Turkey trip include her sticky laugh and great personality. She really deserves the first prize.

I would like to nominate Freddie Caliban from the Salsa Cubana trip. His knowledge of the country, history, flora and fauna all of which was relayed with his own personal experiences of life in Cuba made it a truely fabulous trip.

I'd like to vote for Cigdem too!

On our holiday she was with us from start to finish, helping us with any problems, picking amazing resturants for us to eat in, helping us all plan our 'rest day' activities - great fun and it felt like nothing was too much trouble

On our return to London we felt lost without her - a wonderful woman

Thanks Cigdem

I would like to vote for Mohamed Refaat (Nemo) as leader of the year.

On our family adventure holiday in Egypt this Easter he not only was an excellent guide for us and the children, but he also helped us enormously during the ash cloud crisis. He gave us help far beyond what we had expected and this was truly appreciated by ourselves and the group.

Thanks for giving us a great holiday Nemo.

Thank you all for your nominations!

You can view our final 12 leaders of the month for 2009/10 below:

http://www.adventurecompany.co.uk/leaders-of-the-month-2010

You can also view our four finalists and vote for who you think should be named our Group Leader of the Year:

http://www.adventurecompany.co.uk/forms/adventure-company-group-leader-y...