A CUSTOMER contact centre in Darwen has been rewarded for its treatment of staff by receiving the accolade Employer of the Year in the North West.

Capita Group plc runs the contact centre at India Mill, which deals with TV licensing customer inquiries and transactions on behalf of the BBC. Capita will now be short-listed for Employer of the Year in the 2004 National Business Awards.

Denyse Metcalfe, managing director of Capita's TV licensing contract, said: "We are thrilled at winning this award. Our staff are our business. We depend on them for our ability to achieve high standards of customer service on behalf of our client. This is a great reward to staff at every level who have made the contact centre a commercial success and such a fun place to work."

The centre is open six days a week and employs more than 300 staff, often taking more than 12,000 calls a day. Capita opened the contact centre in India Mill in June 2002, building on its partnership with Blackburn with Darwen Council. The company introduced advanced working practices supported by substantial training and employee benefits.

The award was presented by Graham Morris, former chief executive officer of Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars, to Simon Pill, Capita training and recruitment manager.

Last year, Capita won Company of the Year in the Royal Bank of Scotland Sunday Times Business Awards.