A NORTH YORKSHIRE furniture manufacturer which specialises in supplying boarding schools today announced a record year and said it was planning to more than its double staff.

Castles UK of Locksley Park, Tockwith, landed its biggest refit job - supplying furniture for 191 bedrooms at Fettes College, Edinburgh - on top of a full order book, including projects at schools in Oxford, Brighton, Aberdeen, Fleetwood, Lancashire, Barnard Castle in Co Durham and at St Peter's School in York.

Ian Robertson, general manager, said he expected turnover to leap by more than 20 per cent, bringing it to a sum approaching the million pound mark. He said: "We reached the point this summer where we were having to turn work away. We had already extended our premises by 3,000 sq ft to give us 8,000 sq ft of manufacturing and warehousing.

"The extra demand also prompted investment of another £150,000 in new machinery which we installed this month. Now we are training up two new recruits to operate it.

"This will bring the number of permanent staff to ten and if things go on like this staff will double to 20, which is why we have started our training and recruitment programme."

The firm was founded four years ago by managing director David Baldwin, who is a joiner by trade.

Updated: 10:42 Friday, October 14, 2005