BOSSES of the oldest company in Leigh have pledged a repeat of the event which brought businesses in the town together for the first time.

Up to 70 firms from Leigh and Atherton came together for the Leigh Business Expo 2014 at Leigh Sports Village in July.

Major sponsors behind the event was Collins and Darwell Printers Ltd, a family business which dates back to 1891.

Although the firm in Hope Street was originally established by Mr Collins and Mr Darwell, the business has been in the Travers family since 1925. It is now run by 40-year-old production director Chris Travers and his sister, Nicola Westwell, aged 41.

Ms Westwell said: “We saw it as a way of getting Leigh and Atherton businesses talking to each other and shedding some of the negativity which is out there.”

The event was attended by Leigh MP and Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham and the Wigan president of the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, John Hughes, owner of local building company Hughes Bros.

Ms Westwell said: “The support from the companies of Leigh was amazing and I think the act of trumpeting what the 5,000-plus businesses in the town have to offer was very positive and worth repeating on an annual basis.

“We are trying to bring all the organisations in Leigh and Atherton together because everyone benefits from it. I am already planning the event for next year and I think there will be even more interest in it next year.”