Grangemouth taxi firm boss dedicates award win to his late father

Farid Travels picked up the honour at Norton House Hotel in Edinburgh last night.

Zain Farid accepted the prize and paid tribute to his father Ghulam, who sadly died in December 2021.

"For a small Grangemouth based company this is absolutely amazing and we are over the moon,” said Mr Farid. “A big thank you goes to all our wonderful customers

who voted for us.

"This wouldn’t have been possible without you all. So from the bottom of my heart thank you to each and every one of you. This was a big night for our family as it’s not been an easy year with losing our father who was the face behind this business, so we want to dedicate this award to him.

"We love and miss him dearly. Massive thanks to my family and team for giving me that extra push and also being by my side through this tough year.”

The Prestige Awards recognise small and medium-sized businesses that have proven to be the best in their market over the past 12 months.

All shortlisted companies put forward in the prestige awards are asked to support their nomination with evidence of their work, positive feedback from their clients,

information on previous accreditation and recognition as well as highlighting the most outstanding parts of their businesses.

Ghulam Farid died last December after battling chronic kidney disease – a condition which led him to retire from his long standing role as shopkeeper at Bowhouse Newsagents last year.

Along with wife Shagufta Shamin, Mr Farid ran the Bowhouse Square shop for over 20 years and – with help from sons Zain and Mohammed – earned themselves

British Empire Medals in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for their selfless work and commitment to their customers during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown.

Paying tribute to his father in 2020, Zain said: “My dad has always been a giver, many a time he puts others needs before his own. No matter how big or small. He has worked hard from a young age, coming from a hardworking family within the agriculture sector.

“He wants to help everyone he can and try and not let others suffer.”