THE boss of British Aerospace has paid tribute to the contribution East Lancashire makes to the country's economy.

Sir Richard Evans, chairman of the defence giant which employs 12,000 in Lancashire, said the region was "a real powerhouse of manufacturing in the UK."

"We put the bacon on the table here!" said Sir Richard, who was special guest at the Guardian Angel business partnership scheme annual awards ceremony, staged at the County Hotel, Blackburn.

"A lot of the engineering skills you see now have been developed from the cotton industry round here."

And Sir Richard stressed how BAe depended on the small business sector that the Guardian Angels scheme worked to help.

The Guardian Angel scheme was launched more than five years ago to match experienced business managers with fledgling firms in the Blackburn area and has since been extended throughout East Lancashire.

This year's winning 'marriage' was between Chris Heys, who runs advertising and marketing firm the Painted Word, in Blackburn, and Mike Ellacott, a senior sales manager with ICI in Darwen.

Sir Richard is seen (centre) at the presentation with Chris Heys and Mike Ellacott.

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