BEING part of a winning team has become something of a habit for David Whelan.

And the former footballer-turned retail tycoon told the finalists in Lancashire's premier business awards that the dedication needed to achieve success in business is no different to that needed to reach the top in sport.

The guest speaker at the Lancashire Evening Telegraph East Lancashire Business Awards told an audience of almost 300 at the Dunkenhalgh Hotel how ambition and dedication are the key to success in any walk of life.

This year's awards, which saw more than £14,000 in prizes presented to local firms, attracted a record number of entries and the best-ever turnout for the gala presentation dinner.

And Dave Whelan, head of the JJB Sports empire, proved to be a hugely popular guest of honour and speaker.

Breaking a leg as he played for Blackburn Rovers in the 1960 FA Cup Final was the beginning of the end of his football career. Two years later, in his first game back from injury, he broke his leg again and was forced to fall back on his small business.

Early on in his footballing career he had bought a corner grocery shop in Tewkesbury Street, Blackburn near to his lodgings. He later moved on to Blackburn market and after finally retiring from football built up a chain of discount shops which he later sold out to Morrisons for £1 million in 1978. Bored with early retirement, he bought a sports shop in Wigan for £12,000. Today it is a £500 million business. He still looks back on his time in East Lancashire as among the happiest days of his life. And as a born entrepreneur he was impressed to see how flourishing an area it still is for business.

The success story of Ultraframe, winners of the coveted Company of the Year title, is one which Dave Whelan will certainly appreciate.

Founded by John Lancaster 14 years ago, it has grown to be a market leader in Europe and one of East Lancashire's largest employers.

Our Business Person of the Year, WIlliam Gleave, is regarded as one of the North West's most promising young entrepreneurs. His Northern Textiles business, founded just eight years ago, is soon expected to see turnover top £7 million.

Hollands Pies are famous throughout the North West and the Baxenden firm is one of the oldest established in the region. Its efforts to ensure its name continues to be passed down the generations with an imaginative schools project secured our new Business in the Community title. The firm's success in changing the culture within the business to survive also won it the keenly-contested Training category.

East Lancashire has strong traditions of invention and innovation, on which the cotton industry was founded. Today companies like Royal Ordnance are continuing that tradition in some of the most high tech markets in the world. Its ROVIS communications systems was a worthy winner of the Product Development Award.

Jeweller Peter Jackson was up against multi-million pound businesses employing hundreds of people, but his dedication to constantly developing new and exciting ways to promote his company won him the Marketing & Sales Promotion Award.

Many of the major companies who reached the finals of this year's awards can look back to humble beginnings, and the local small business sector is continuing to ensure the area has a bright future.

Building firm Ensign Developments is enjoying rapid growth, and numbers several blue chip clients among its customer list, despite its tender years.

And telematics specialist Promethean's success in helping local firms and organisations grasp the technology challenge made it the judges' choice in the Small Business of the Year category.

A special award was presented to Blackburn College in recognition of its contribution to the local business community.

This year's awards, sponsored by ELTEC. Lancashire Enterprises, Farleys solicitors and Europrint Group, were the most successful since the competition was launched three years ago, with a record number of entries and the biggest-ever prize pot.

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