TWO companies, launched with the help of a £500 start up grant and which now have turnovers of more than £1m, were honoured at a business showcase evening in Bromsgrove.

More than 20 local business were represented at last Thursday's event, which was hosted by Bromsgrove District Council at the Council House.

Over the past six years the authority has sponsored more than 100 new ventures under its business start up programme, which it runs in conjunction with NEW College. The scheme offers free business training and a £500 grant. Welcoming visitors and guests, the council's economic development manager Peter Michael said: "Bromsgrove is a good place to start a business as the district has the highest survival rate for new ventures across the whole of Worcestershire and Herefordshire."

We Clean Ltd, set up three years ago in Rubery by a group of people who had been made redundant, now employs more than 130 staff and has a turnover of over £1.3m.

This firm and All 4 One Engineering, based at Hunt End, Redditch - which is expecting sales of £2m this year, were presented with million turnover awards by the council's acting chief executive Kevin Dicks.

Awards for the most promising newcomers went to MAD Fabrications, of Aston Fields, Colin Pearson, of CP Catering - which is based at the Spadesbourne kitchen and which incidentally provided the buffet on the night, and Mike Bird, of Xtreme Footwear - a highly successful internet company which sells exotic and unusual footwear based in the Bromsgrove district.

Mr Dicks said later: "There is a lot of new commercial talent in Bromsgrove and it is also good to see how engineering and manufacturing are still doing well."