Fledgling leisure company wins award LEIGH-based firms landed top prizes at the annual Wigan and Leigh Business Awards.

After only a year in business, FX Leisure at Lowton carried off the Best Start-up Business award.

FX Leisure was said by the judges to have established itself as a leading player in the local leisure market through sound market research and a solid business plan.

Managing Director Stuart Taylor said: "It's great; a wonderful achievement which more than anything reflects great credit on the staff at FX Leisure.

"We have had a great 12 months since opening and are looking forward to achieving our future goals."

The 2000 Wigan & Leigh Business Awards were presented at the Waterside Conference Centre, Wigan, by Meena Pathak, co-owner of Patak (Spices) Ltd, which is based at new headquarters on the outskirts of Leigh town centre.

There were nearly 100 entries of the highest quality across eight categories.

The prestigious awards, organised by Wigan Borough Partnership, have uncovered a range of businesses which show that the Borough is progressive, innovative and growing in stature as a centre for business excellence in the UK.

Winner of the Wigan Metropolitan Development Company Award for the Best Large Business was Hindley-based Rivington Foods Ltd.

They were said to have clearly demonstrated their strong growth by investing in their people, products and processes.

Two other Leigh firms taking honours in The Wigan Borough Partnership Careers Service Award for Investing in Young People were winners Leighton Packaging and runners-up End Systems Ltd.

And two more Leigh companies, Volex Wiring Systems and BICC Cables, received prizes in the Groundwork Wigan & Chorley Award for Environmental Awareness section.

Before presenting the prizes, Bolton-based Meena Pathak -- the 1999 Asian Businesswoman of the Year -- explained how she first started to experiment with recipes in secret at home, afraid to tell her husband and father-in-law.

"My husband told me kitchen experiments didn't work but I wanted to convince them there was a future in what I was doing.

"Then one day I plucked up enough courage and cooked an evening meal from one of the recipes. My husband and father-in-law loved what they ate. My husband said: 'That's wonderful. Can you get it in a jar'?"

Mrs Pathak said her worldwide business had grown because the company had focussed on the market they wanted to target.

She is now responsible as Director of Recipe Development for 24 new products every year. Other winners:

Wigan Observer Award for the Best Small Business - AC Computer Services Ltd; runner-up: Nutrisport.

Heinz Award for Innovation: Vipower Technologies Ltd; runner-up: Victoria Foods Ltd, Leigh.

The Investors in People Award for Learning and Skills Development: Remploy; runner up: Bedford Residential Nursing Home, Leigh.

Coalfield Challenge Award for Community Involvement: Barclays Bank; runner up: Asda Stores Ltd.