Shropshire companies 'can inspire Britain'

Three businesses in Shropshire Council's area, four more in Telford & Wrekin, and one in Mid Wales won places on LSE's 1,000 Companies To Inspire Britain list.

Fast-growing sweet ingredients supplier Orchard Valley Foods, near Tenbury Wells, Prees Green industrial equipment firm Hawk Plant Hire, and Shrewsbury's hotels software provider Guestline were all included on the list.

Autoscan, based at Central Park in Telford, which provides quality inspection for automotive manufacturers, Countrywide Waste Management, which is part of Telford's Reconomy, and growing cloud computing specialist Nasstar are recognised also.

Pipe

Driver education group TTC Group is another Telford-based business to win recognition, while Powys is included on the list thanks exclusively to Welshpool's pipe support manufacturer Carpenter and Paterson.

Woore-based T-T Pumps is also listed in the Shropshire category despite lying just over the Cheshire border.

The annual report highlighted firms that are expanding at an average of 50 per cent a year, with 78 per cent of the most rapidly growing companies being based outside London.

The West Midlands was the area with the fifth-highest number of fast-growing companies as highlighted by the report, behind London, the South East, the North West and the East of England.

Xavier Rolet, chief executive of the London Stock Exchange Group, said: "High growth SMEs are the driving force behind the UK economy, developing the skills, jobs and growth we need.

"But ambition alone is not enough; their success must be highlighted and their growth properly supported with appropriate finance.

"That's why this report is so important: demonstrating the strong alliance between UK Government, financial market participants, investors, entrepreneurs and companies to support these inspiring businesses. Today's celebration is fundamental to London Stock Exchange's core, the need to support UK high growth companies in their journeys from start-up to stardom and create an entrepreneurship revolution."

Around a quarter of the firms are from the construction, engineering and manufacturing sectors and there has been a 17 per cent increase in food and drink companies, according to the report.

Just 13.5 per cent of the directors across the 1,000 firms were women, it found. The information technology sector was the top performing sector, enjoying 350 per cent growth between 2010-14.

Some 147 companies made the list again following last year's report, with Metro Bank seeing a 171 per cent increase in revenues.