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Dame Irene Hays is the owner and chair of Hay’s Travel, the company that was set up by her late husband, John Hays, in County Durham in 1980.
It started out in the back room of his mum's baby clothes shop, taking £812 in its first year, and has grown in to a business with over £2 billion in transactions last year, over 4000 staff, and a 44 year legacy that sees them remain pivotal to the North East community where it all started.

Dame Irene will tell us about how she and her husband navigated multiple recessions, a cost of living crisis, a global pandemic, and even volcanoes blocking flight paths – all the time they were growing and expanding the company.

In 2019 they were dubbed the ‘Heroes of the High Street’ when they took on Thomas Cook after it ceased trading, saving many jobs and hundreds of stores. But the following year would see an even bigger challenge for the company, as the Covid pandemic saw the travel industry face restrictions and uncertainty for several years. It's still recovering in many areas.

Dame Irene will share her story of moving from working in local and national government to the helm of Hays Travel, the challenges of losing her husband and business partner, and where her passion and drive comes from.

You can contact You & Yours by emailing youandyours@bbc.co.uk or using the hashtag #youandyours

Presenter: Peter White
Producer: Dave James