ONE winner in this year's Evening Press Business Awards is receiving a bigger boost than expected.

Rosie Ellis, of Easingwold set design, prop manufacturing and costume construction business Scenecraft UK Ltd, scooped the Young Business Entrepreneur Of The Year title at last week's awards ceremony at York Racecourse.

Now she and her joint business partner, Matthew East, have been offered a year's free business support from the award sponsor, Thirsk-based design, build and development company Severfield-Reeve Projects (SRP).

Lindsay Ross, founder and managing director of SRP, was hugely impressed with the drive and entrepreneurial flare of the couple.

He said: "Severfield-Reeve Projects was founded on entrepreneurial vision, which we have developed to take us to where we are today.

"It was refreshing to witness Rosie and Matthew's entrepreneurial flare and passion for their enterprise, which they have taken a long way during only 19 months of trading.

"We are very impressed with their enterprise and, partly because the same sort of assistance was not available when SRP started out, have decided to offer them free mentoring to support the development of their business over the next 12 months."

The support offered will provide Scenecraft UK Ltd with access to business expertise within Severfield-Reeve Projects, including financial and personnel management, a range of marketing skills and external services, including graphic design and public relations.

Rosie and Matthew studied entertainment design and crafts at Teesside University, and were originally freelance designers in the entertainment industry working for TV companies, theatres and museums.

Because work was intermittent and project based, they decided to launch Scenecraft UK Ltd to create a cash-flow between commissions. They started making bird tables in a garage with borrowed tools, before expanding into other unusual and big-selling garden furniture, including wishing well features, mushroom ornaments and a new line of fake bricks for the novelty toy industry, which are sold on their company website.

Matthew said: "It is a fantastic gesture by Severfield-Reeve Projects as the recognition of Rosie becoming Young Business Entrepreneur of The Year is only the start for us.

"We are very grateful to Severfield-Reeve Projects. They can be sure that we will make full use of all they have to offer."

Updated: 11:27 Friday, November 26, 2004