Double win for Virgin Trains in Scotland

Virgin Trains Communications Managers, new and old, have been celebrated at a prestigious awards ceremony in Glasgow.

Allan McLean was given Lifetime Contribution to Transport at the annual Scottish Transport Awards, six months after he stepped down as Communications Manager for Scotland and North England.

His successor in the post, Damien Henderson, was also recognised for Contribution to Transport Journalism in Scotland following a 10-year stint at The Herald, including as Transport Correspondent since 2009.

Virgin Trains’ Chief Operating Officer, Chris Gibb hailed the two winners. Chris said: "I'm delighted to learn that Allan has been given a lifetime achievement award for his work with us in Scotland. Allan successfully represented Virgin Trains' interests in Scotland for many years prior to his recent retirement, and never let the rest of the company forget the importance of our Scottish activities and staff.

“Allan was a popular and hard act to follow, and Damien Henderson, his successor, won an award at the same event for his work as a journalist with the Herald, which he left to join us. Only the best for Virgin Trains!"

The awards ceremony, now in its 11^th year, aims to celebrate the achievements of the Scottish transport sector and was attended by a record-breaking crowd of 350 industry leaders at the Radisson Blu Hotel.

Allan joined Virgin Trains in 1998 and initially covered a patch stretching from Aberdeen to York and Lancaster, doing media, political, stakeholder and internal communications. As well as being famous for his encyclopaedic knowledge of the railways, he is well-known across the industry for his hankie dance.

He had previously worked for 18 years at the Scotsman, latterly as Transport Correspondent and Beer Columnist following work in the PR department of British Rail. Allan was praised for breaking “numerous exclusive stories and demonstrating an insightful understanding of the sector”.

The award to Mr Henderson was given to recognise “outstanding journalism in Scotland”. He took up the position with Virgin Trains in February this year.

The ceremony was hosted by BBC sports presenter Hazel Irvine, organised by Transport Times Events and sponsored by the Scottish Government and Transport Scotland.