EYE-catching images aimed at raising Commonwealth Games awareness have been produced by a thriving Bolton company.

Portfolio Art and Design, which is based in St Georges Square, has worked closely with Bolton Council to hammer home the message that the town has a big stake in the Manchester Games next summer.

Bolton is to stage the badminton competition at the £15 million Bolton Arena and there are to be cycling and mountain-biking events in the Rivington area.

Portfolio has been helping Bolton Council encourage local people and businesses to get involved.

The company, which is run by directors Phil Shaw and Darren Clare, is responsible for giant banners which have been displayed around the town centre and for other promotional material such as posters.

See it Live in Bolton -- the central message -- featured prominently on the 15-metres by 5-metres banner which was draped across the front of the Town Hall when the town launched its 12-month countdown to the Games on July 25.

"We are pleased to be involved with anything that is for Bolton," Darren said today.

The business was formed by 26-year-old Phil and Darren, aged 35, in September, 1995 and it has grown to the extent that it now has 15 people working for it.

Rochdale-born Phil, whose parents David and June run the Lostock Arms pub, went to Deane School and studied marketing and accountancy at Salford University.

He had a taste of the business world when he took part in the Youth in Business scheme run by Bolton and Bury Chamber.

Darren -- "I have always been in to art and design" -- went to Bolton County Grammar and before teaming up with Phil ran a small studio within a fine art company in the town.

Portfolio started in Bridgeman Place, opposite Bolton Business Ventures.

It moved to St Georges Court about 2 years ago.

Business has taken off over the last 12 months and prestigious clients include the electrical chain Dixons which is expanding its PC World concept into Europe.

Portfolio has produced creative recruitment advertising and training material for the first PC City store due to open in Paris in a couple of months' time.

The French training product features a map of the Paris Underground with room for it to be stamped as trainees reach successive development stages.

Other clients have included World Duty Free at Heathrow Airport, Martin Dawes, estate agents and councils such as Bolton and Bury.

"We compete with massive agencies and we have had a couple of companies interested in taking us over," Phil said.

New work is on the horizon and the company has invested in an office in central London.