LAW firm Ramsbottom and Co decided to do things a little differently to celebrate getting a national award - with a trip to the circus!

Staff from the practice's three offices in Blackburn, Great Harwood and Darwen responded to the 'roll up, roll up' call and went along to the Bobby Roberts Circus when it stopped off at Haydock Park as part of a national tour.

And the plaque for the Investors in People training and staff development achievement was presented in the ring. "We wanted the presentation to be a little different and it worked," said senior partner Malcolm Clay.

ELTEC chief executive Mark Price was even persuaded to climb aboard an elephant as part of the occasion.

"It is not something I have been asked to do before but I enjoyed the experience!" he said.

Other East Lancashire firms to recently be awarded the Investors in People standard include Burnley Health Care NHS Trust's personnel directorate, Borden Decorative Products Middleton Distribution Centre, Ritherdon and Company of Darwen and the Granville Technology Group of Simonstone.

Re-recognition was secured by Fearns High School in Bacup and Warburton's Burnley site.

More than 190 local employers have now been awarded the standard and almost 480 are committed to achieving it.

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