A MAGNIFICENT oil painting marking the victory of Pocklington Montessori School in the Evening Press Business Awards 2000 was formally presented to its founder Rosie Pressland by the artist.

Corporate artist David Fisher helped to hang the powerful image in the lobby of the school yesterday.

The painting echoes the vibrant colours of the competition motif: vivid petals denoting successful growth plus urgent bars of horizontal and perpendicular colour suggesting structured energy. School staff applauded as the work was eased into place.

It is a fitting trophy for the school which scooped three categories out of eight - Small Business of the Year, Progress Through People and for Rosie, personally, the Business Personality of the Year - before securing the overall title in a record year for entries.

"It's a beautiful piece of art which we will treasure for years to come," said Rosie who plans to transfer the trophy into the lobby of her new £500,000 three storey extension which opens next week, doubling the size of her venture in Bielby Lane.

She will need the room. Ever since her win, demand has soared for places at the school which achieves for six year olds the reading standards of ten-and-a-half year olds and teaches them maths, French and occasionally Spanish.

Rosie said: "I can't believe what has happened since the awards. We have been overwhelmed by congratulations from people both in Britain and as far away as New Zealand and Canada."