THE best of Bolton's entrepreneurs will be celebrating at a glittering awards ceremony next week.

The On Track initiative, run by Bolton Council's Business Support Unit, will celebrate its annual awards night on Monday in the Reebok Stadium's Platinum Suite.

Guest speaker will be David Singleton, senior vice-president of Reebok in Europe and Africa.

The OnTrack programme is led by Bolton Council's Business Support Unit, with assistance from ChamberLink and the European Regional Development Fund.

Together with sponsors from the local business community, the programme is aimed at helping Bolton's entrepreneurs achieve their potential.

The initiative provides consultancy, specialist IT support, specialised business workshops and a dedicated business support programme.

The awards dinner, sponsored by HSBC Bank, is one of the highights of the year, with participants competing for awards and prize money donated by Barlow Andrews Chartered Accountants, Bolton Institute, ChamberLink, Core GCS, Leapfrog Computers, Keoghs Solicitors and Total Digital Solutions.

There are six categories for the awards, including Young Entrepreneur of the Year, Sustainable Business of the Year, Best Use of Technology, and Business Personality.

Ross Bullock, business adviser at the support unit said: "Response to the awards from our members and sponsors has been fantastic, and with the event a sell-out, it promises to be a great evening."

Bolton's reputation as a centre of excellence for business start-ups has already put the town in line for a government award.

The Government's Im-provement and Development Agency has shortlisted Bolton Council for Beacon Status for support to new business.

The result will be announced in April.