BOLTON company IDN Supplies scooped the biggest award of the evening as they were named Business of the Decade.

Company director Dave Shuttleworth had to fight back the tears as he became overcome with emotion after the team at IDN, based off Manchester Road, took home the newly introduced award.

The company, which was set up 28 years ago in Bolton Business Centre in a small managed office with a portable building as a warehouse, has gone from strength to strength over the years.

In 1988 it was a company that sold typewriter ribbons and it has gone on to become one of the country's leading IT and audio visual solutions' suppliers.

The company has always been self-funded and always recruited local staff, 10 of which were brought along to the awards.

Dave said: "We only brought 10 of the staff today but we should have brought the other 70 because it is a massive team effort. We are all a little bit giddy."

The company now has 80 employees – 11 more than last year – and is still recruiting new sales and technical staff.

As they continue to expand they are currently negotiating a 10-year lease on the top floor of its neighbouring building to move into after internal building works are completed.

Dave added: "We believe we are the best at what we do. We don't advertise and we don't shout about what we do, but maybe after 28 years it is time to start.

"We employ local people and we are the best in the country so we are delighted that the judges agree.

"It is a privilege to be named as business of the decade. Sometimes you think that it is the same old faces and names that get recognised and so we thought it was time that we started shouting about how good we are.

"We are a bit of fresh air, perhaps we should about ourselves a bit more. I want to thank all of the team for their support and all of the support given to me by the managing director Gareth Stocks."