HUSBAND and wife team Sue and Tony Le May are celebrating after winning £10,000 in a national competition.

The couple, who run Thirsk Photo Express, in the Market Place, took first prize in a contest organised by Fujifilm.

Last year, the couple entered a business development competition in which they were asked to highlight priorities for key areas of their business, from customer service and staff training to the appearance of their store and business objectives.

They won the first round in August last year and used the £1,000 prize to repaint the shopfront and install new lighting.

Now the couple, from Ingleby Barwick, near Stockton, have won the first prize of £10,000 and plan to use the money in a number of ways, one of which will be to refurbish the store, as well as investing in further training and marketing.

Mr Le May said yesterday: "All the hard work has definitely paid off and has given us a real boost.