WITH the state of the economy, there is a lot of doom and gloom around business at present.

And that is why it is so refreshing to celebrate some positive news today.

An eco-housing company has taken over a 192,000 sq ft unit at Walker Park in Blackburn and invested £8million in manufacturing equipment.

Bosses say they will create 400 jobs by 2012 through sales of custom-built pre-packed homes.

The man behind the scheme is Blackpool architect Peter Marshall. He has been praised for his entrepreneurial spirit by politicians.

That spirit is alive and well, as the Lancashire Telegraph can testify following the judging of our 2010 Business Awards.

Each year our awards highlight the many fantastic companies in the area.

Time and time again our judges are blown away by the innovation and creativity of our business leaders.

Mr Marshall appears to be another strong example of this.

We wish him well in his venture: 400 new jobs would be fantastic for the area.