WINNER of the night’s biggest and most prestigious award was Burnley-based aerospace manufacturer Aircelle Ltd.

Its recent creation of 250 new jobs was a huge boost for the area in a time of economic worry and its success continued at Friday’s glittering awards ceremony.

Helen Gopsill, Aircelle’s human resources director, was joined by 10 colleagues for the post-awards photographs and she paid tribute to the teamwork that helped the company scoop the Business of the Year accolade.

She said: “It is great recognition of the hard work they have done to help the company grow.

“We genuinely try and be the best we can be and this award recognises that.

“It has definitely been a team effort.

“Everybody has a part to play and is unique and valuable to the company.

“We could not have achieved this without the help of our staff.”

The company makes thrust reversers for aircraft. The reversers are essentially the braking system which stops aircraft overshooting the runway.

With nearly 800 employees in Burnley, Aircelle is the largest private sector employer in the town and has put many of its staff through further education courses and has upped its apprentice intake.

Helen said: “We have a heritage in the east of Lancashire and we have no plans to change that.

“We have a skilled workforce in the area which allows us to do what we do.

“We are loyal to Burnley and will be there for years to come.

“What we are doing is about providing a future for employment in the town.

“The next step is about consolidation after the growth we have seen.

“The job creation has been to do with an increase in work for Rolls Royce and they are a core partner for the future of this business.

“We have a special relationship with them which we want to maintain.”

The job creation, coupled with the ambition of the company, led to Aircelle being chosen as the winner of the Lancashire Telegraph Business Awards Business of the Year.

Aircelle Ltd is the UK arm of the Aircelle Group, a subsidiary of the SAFRAN organisation that leads the way in high-technology and employs more than 3,500 across the UK, France and Morocco.