Entrepreneur Roy Stanley is the first winner of the County Durham Lifetime of Achievement Award.

The presentation was one of the highlights of the inaugural County Durham Business Show, at the Hardwick Hall Hotel in Sedgefield, last night.

More than 150 of the county's top businessmen and women turned out to see The Northern Echo's editor, Peter Barron, present Mr Stanley with the award.

Mr Stanley has been responsible for creating more than 300 jobs in four companies since 1997, and aims to create more than 1,000 by the end of 2005.

His businesses, combined under the Tanfield Group banner in Tanfield Lea, near Stanley, include engineering businesses E2A and HMH and digital imaging firm Comeleon which floated on the London Stock Exchange in December 2000. All three have since been recognised with the Investors in People standard.

His latest venture, JKI (JoeKnowsIt), started trading eight months ago, developing a way of creating video streamed training material via the Internet. It already employs ten staff, and expects to have more than 50 employees within the next six months.

The four businesses now have a combined turnover of more than £20m.

Guest speakers at last night's show included BBC business commentator and former barrister Justin Urquart Stewart, who spoke about the problems faced by small businesses looking for funding to get off the ground and the issues facing the financial institutions.

The after-dinner speaker was expedition leader Major Ken Hames, who has led a life of danger, crossing the Sahara Desert twice and climbing many of the world's highest mountains.

International illusionists added cabaret style to the event.

The County Durham Business Show was organised by Enterprise Event Management, with County Durham Development Company as the major sponsor.

The fifth Tees Valley Business Show will follow in October.

* For a full review of this year's County Durham Business Show, see Tuesday's new Business Echo supplement.