TWO Blackburn companies have emerged as true blue chip winners according to the results of this year's Deloitte & Touche Fast 50 technology awards for the North.

The annual 'Oscars' night for technology companies meant celebrations for Formfill and Promethean when the awards were announced at the Meridien Palace Hotel in Manchester.

Formfill finished in tenth place with a growth rate of 342 per cent, closely followed by Promethean Ltd, the software equipment manufacturer, who finished thirteenth with 282 per cent growth.

Formfill, based at the Phoenix Business Park, has gone from strength to strength since it was set up in 1997 by Peter Kennedy and Martin Edwards. The firm creates advanced e-Business software that enables customers to make operational processes quicker and more efficient. Rather than having piles of paper to wade through, Formfill can speed up businesses and help them become more efficient. Last year, the company opened an office in Melbourne to break into Australian and other Pacific Rim countries.

Promethean, part of the TDS group at Whitebirk, has pioneered the development of interactive whiteboard technology for use in schools and training centres.

Its 'ACTIVboards' are fast replacing the traditional blackboard as the preferred teaching aid in classrooms across the UK.

There were a total of 18 north west companies which now go on to compete for both a national and a European Fast 500 ranking which culminates in awards in Paris in April.

The awards are part of a national campaign by professional services firm Deloitte & Touche designed to recognise, reward and raise the profile of the fastest-growing technology companies in seven regions across the UK and Ireland.

Damian Sanders, the Deloitte & Touche NW technology partner, said: "The local market is really buzzing with ideas at the moment."