A MULTI-MILLION-pound business which grew out of a small village was named the best in East Lancashire.

And its boss put the success down to promoting ‘Lancashire values’ around the world.

As well as being awarded the title at the glamorous Lancashire Telegraph Business Awards, bosses at acdc LED Ltd, based in Barrowford, were also able to confirm they were just weeks away from another £5m international contract.

The firm also took the award for deal of the year for its £5m project on an airport in Oman.

Chief executive officer Gareth Frankland said: “We have really grown in the last five years.

“The business set out to grow and we have got a brilliant opportunity in the industry we are in.

“We are all about trying to maximise that opportunity. It is there, it’s not easy to go and deliver it but that’s what we are doing.

“We are aiming to double the business over the next three years. The success is down to the people, number one.

“The people are fantastic and we invest in the people. We work hard but we enjoy it.”

The new potential deal would see the company embark on a £5.3m Far Eastern adventure, which could result in 60 new jobs, including 45 in East Lancashire.

Mr Frankland said the contract would top off an ‘extraordinary year’.

The award presentation, made by BAE Systems’s Samlesbury site director Ian Wood, was the climax to Friday night’s annual business awards, which celebrate the best of East Lancashire’s home-grown talent.

He said: “It was a cracking event and we have supported it for the last three years.”

Industry leaders and guests packed into the Jack Walker suite at Ewood Park, where they were treated to a three-course Michelin star meal by Northcote.

Singers Sirens Encore provided entertainment performing classics such as Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend and an Abba medley, which saw dancers take to the floor.

Spencer May drew caricatures of guests as they mingled and the night ended with a disco.

Mark Crabtree, from AMS Neve in Burnley, said the evening was the East Lancashire equivalent of the Oscars. He said: “It has a lot of support and is well respected. The awards are highly regarded and sought after.

“It was great to see Blackburn and Burnley getting along for a common cause.”

But the main aim of the night was to recognise the numerous successes of firms from across the region.

Comedian and compere Norman Prince, who again hosted the night, said: “The evening was a great success and the awards are a great shop window for the talent that we have in East Lancashire.”

Lancashire Telegraph group editor Kevin Young said the wide range of businesses which entered this year’s awards was an indicator of how well the area was performing on the wider business scene.

He said: “I say it every year, but it is absolutely true, the quality this year was amazing.

“We had both quality and quantity and the companies that made the top three had already brushed past a lot of good companies.

“We also had a lot of first time entrants, which is great. The evening was about having a great time and basking in their great achievements.”

Chairman of the East Lancashire Chamber of Trade, Mike Damms, said the ceremony was a brilliant celebration of all that is good about East Lancashire.

He added: “We have a wonderful set of businesses and industries, and we don’t tell enough people. It is no good saying ‘nobody understands us,’ if we don’t tell them.

“The range of businesses is absolutely stunning. We have got everything, and if you want to know what East Lancashire does, it is more or less everything.”

Steve Rumbelow, chief executive of Burnley Council, said: “The evening has got a reputation for showcasing the best of East Lancashire business. This year’s event really topped previous years’. It was great to see representation from all businesses.

“It reflects how we are feeling at the moment. Being named the most enterprising town is exemplar of what has been going on for years.

“Things have been on the up for a while without us being noticed.”

Kate Hollern, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, presented the environment award, and said: “It was a wonderful event.

“It was good to recognise the great businesses in East Lancashire. Thanks to the Lancashire Telegraph for hosting it.”