A COMPANY fitting suspended ceilings for banks, shops and hospitals has reached new heights by winning a national award at the first attempt.

Linthwaite-based Ceiling 2 Ltd gained a silver award in the category for installations valued at below £100,000 in the Association of Interior Specialists Awards held in London.

The award recognised the firm’s outstanding work fitting a suspended ceiling at Armthorpe Coronation Working Men’s Club in Doncaster.

Judges visited the club to view the workmanship for themselves and the company also underwent a stringent interviewing session.

Although the contract was not the biggest the company has tackled, it provided some unusual challenges due to the shape and features of the rooms.

Now Ceiling 2 aims to use its national exposure to win more contracts in the face of tough competition from bigger companies.

Owner Graham Stacey said: “It is a big achievement. It is the first time we have entered the competition and to come away with silver is testament to the skills and dedication of our staff and the quality of our fitters and sub-contractors. It has attracted a lot of interest.”

Mr Stacey formed the company 25 years ago after leaving his job as works engineer with Reliance Gears at Lepton. His interest grew from carrying out a project at Reliance to fit ceilings and partitions at premises on the site.

“I started doing bits and pieces at weekends and I left Reliance to set up the business in 1984.”

Mr Stacey now heads a seven-strong team.

The company moved from Paddock to Hazel Grove, Linthwaite, six years ago. It carried out a refurbishment of the premises to provide a “working showroom” for potential customers.

Ceiling 2 is now notching up annual turnover totalling £2m for its work refurbishing existing business premises and carrying out work on new developments.

Contracts have included work on the new birthing ward at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, a new store in Liverpool and Colnebridge-based nursery products firm Mamas and Papas and a refurbishment project for estate agency Bramleys in Huddersfield.

It has also worked for Huddersfield University, discount retailer Netto, banking giant HBOS, the Nationwide Building Society and several car dealerships.