AN expanding telecommunications company has bought its own business centre in Pocklington.

Ryedale Communications has moved out of its small Helmsley office, which it is retaining as an outpost, and into its new 3,000 sq ft Pocklington Business Centre, which was formerly Kandy's Gymnasium.

Seven small business tenants have also moved into the building in New Street, which cost hundreds of thousands of pounds to buy and convert into modern offices.

The move marks rapid growth for Ryedale Communications, founded by managing director Alice Adams six years ago. She now expects the firm's £2 million turnover to double by the end of the year. Already she has expanded her sales and administration staff by six people to ten, plus consultants all over the country.

The firm targets small and medium-sized enterprises, large corporations and local businesses for the supply of voice, data and internet products. Its client list includes the likes of BOCM Pauls, Pick Everard and Wirral & South Cheshire NHS.

It offers a range of telephone network systems, broadband, business mobiles and Blackberry, while its most up-to-the-minute technology centres on VoIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) enables users to make and receive calls using their broadband connections. It also organises cross-border telephony technology which allows calls to be easily re-routed from one country to another, ideal for multi-sited organisations.

As a perk, the new tenants of the business centre are having their IT and telecom requirements seen to by their landlords.

They include Wolds Letting and Property Maintenance, Fly-Me-Now air charter company, The Real Yorkshire Pub Company, Britannia Recruitment and Merlin Industries.

Helping Ryedale Communications over the past year has been business support organisation Science City York which steered it towards project funding through the High Growth Start-Up Scheme.

Andy Gurnell, Science City York's business promoter, said: "At a time when telecommunications and IT are becoming more and more critical to business, it has been exciting working with Ryedale Telecommunications.

"Growing from a one woman business to ten staff in their own offices has been a splendid achievement. Ryedale's commitment to total customer satisfaction has been a crucial element in their success"

Mrs Adams praised Science City York for its help.

She said: "With larger premises and an excellent personnel structure behind me, I now feel I can take Ryedale Telecommunications' business to the next level, concentrating on our consultancy and project management work, especially in IT telephony."