A YOUNG Lancaster businessman has won £1,000 as the regional winner of a major business competition.

Joe Govier, 27, will now travel to London in June for the Shell Livewire Finals where he stands a good chance of walking away with the £10,000 first prize.

Joe set up his fledgling company, Detail Plastics, in Caton Road just 16 months ago but already employs eight people and is looking to expand.

And he has his wife Elizabeth on hand who helps out the business as a receptionist whenever she can.

Joe, who remains pretty modest about his success, said: "I have always planned to run my own business. I went to college and gained my qualifications then worked in industry to get the experience I needed. When I thought the time was right and I could get the financial backing, I made the decision to start. It has gone better than I thought but I think that that is due to the forethought and planning I had done earlier. We have invested in the best quality machines and technology which means we are at the cutting edge of plastics developments. This is a great advantage when dealing with customers."

Joe, who now has an extra £1,000 to invest said: "Entering the Livewire Competition has been a stimulating experience. It has given me the opportunity to meet with other people of a similar age who have just started their own business and hear of their experiences and the problems they have had. Not only that but the competition itself is quite exciting. I'm looking forward to going to London in June to see how I get on."

Local Livewire co-ordinator, Brian Moore, said: "I'm really pleased for Joe. From the moment I met him I knew he had the potential to go on to the final and the more I see him the more impressed I become by his business acumen."

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.