TWENTY years ago, husband and wife Brian and Sally Tozer settled at Pickering to set up a residential craft centre.

Now the couple's Studiotozer Ceramics is in contention for the 2004 Evening Press Small Business of the Year title.

Before moving to Pickering, the artistic duo ran ceramic and craft workshops for children at a Hull arts centre for ten years.

For the last 20 years they have catered for full board lodgers and bed-and-breakfast guests at their Pickering home.

They hope that by combining the two, they can underline even more the fact that they deserve the Best Business And Education Link award.

While working at Pickering, they have established strong artistic links in the community with Pickering Community Junior School, Lady Lumley's School and local groups.

They provide specialised artistic tuition, expertise and experience to schools.

Mrs Tozer said: "At the moment, we are teaching a local teenager disabled following an accident 18 months ago. He is on permanent out-of-school study and, being very talented in art, we are able to work with the school and him on a one-to-one basis."

Combining their experience in running a guest house and their artistic work, the couple promise residential craft holidays are "just around the corner".

They recently received a £5,000 grant from the Arts Council after getting help and advice from Frank Clarke, business adviser of North Yorkshire Moors and Coast Business Advice Agency (NYMAC).

The money has been ploughed into facilities at the centre, including a gas-fired kiln, raw materials and a computer.

This has expanded their work to include a website and contemporary computer-generated art, to the benefit of centre users.

Mr Tozer said: "We are now in a position where we can achieve the goals that we set ourselves 20 years ago, when we moved from secure employment in our family town house to a rundown rural cottage."

Updated: 12:19 Tuesday, August 24, 2004