A WALLPAPER manufacturer with a 150-year history in Darwen has been honoured with the prestigious Queen's Award for Export Achievement.

More than 120 staff from Borden Decorative Products, more commonly known as Crown Wallcoverings, gathered to watch the presentation by Lord Shuttleworth at the company's headquarters in the town.

Crown sales topped £100 million in 1996 and the company continues to be a leading exporter of wallcoverings from the UK - with a 35 per cent market share.

The export division works across 60 countries and has booming business in Poland, Russia and China and also enjoys sales to Europe and North America.

Neil Sharrock, chief executive of Borden Decorative Products, said: "Our success is built upon understanding the needs of world markets and producing innovative, quality products to fill those needs.

"Quality product is paramount. We have been manufacturing wallcoverings for more than 150 years and would like to believe that we have perfected the process."

The award follows the company's success in the Nat West Financial Times Exporter of the Year Awards. They were North West winners and national runners-up.

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