So says Sylvia Wilson, latest winner of the Bermuda Sunshine Award.

The award is presented annually by the Visitor Industry Partnership and Hospitality Professional Association to four friendly Bermudians each year.

Mrs. Wilson was nominated for it after befriending Boston visitor Dionne McLaughlin and her husband this summer.

"I drive a taxi on Saturdays and I met Dionne because I drove her to her hotel,'' Mrs. Wilson said. "We quickly became good friends.

"I invited her to come to church with me the next day and she did. That afternoon we went out on a yacht.'' The pair became inseparable over the next three days as they toured the Island, went shopping in Hamilton and took a ferry ride from Dockyard to St.

George's.

"We had a lot of fun,'' Mrs. Wilson recalled. "But on the Thursday I went away and when I came back they were gone.'' Mrs. Wilson's spirits were renewed, however, when she received a letter stating she was the next winner of the Sunshine Award.

Mrs. McLaughlin had made the decision to nominate her new friend because of her "generous hospitality''.

"She spent three days with us and did not ask for a penny,'' Mrs. McLaughlin told the VIP and the HPA, who select the winners. Positive that their friendship will continue to blossom, Mrs. Wilson said: "Since we met I have already been to Boston (to visit the couple). They took me all around and hopefully they're going to spend Christmas with me in Bermuda.'' "I have found a great friend,'' she added. "I was brought up to remember what goes around comes around and that has certainly been proven true for me.'' SUNNY SYLVIA -- The most recent winner of the Bermuda Sunshine Award Sylvia Wilson is all smiles.