A CABINET maker is to double the size of its premises, after help from Business Link York and North Yorkshire.

Philip Bastow Cabinet Maker's 2,400sq ft workshop and showroom in Reeth, Swaledale, is due to be completed by June.

The move, funded with help from a £7,000 enterprise grant, will allow the business to expand its output and product range and boost an area hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis.

Owner Philip Bastow received assistance in securing the grant from Business Link York and North Yorkshire personal business advisor Margaret Shea.

It will be the third time Mr Bastow has moved since starting the business in 1982, in a barn.

He sells mainly within the UK, but is to launch a website - www.philipbastow-cabinetmaker.com - which he hopes will stimulate overseas interest.

Mr Bastow said: "Business Link York and North Yorkshire have been invaluable to me.

"As well as informing me as to my funding options, Margaret Shea guided me through the entire application process and also helped me to formulate a new business plan.

"When the new workshop and showroom are complete, Business Link will also be helping me to devise and implement a marketing strategy."

Mrs Shea said: "Philip Bastow has a long history of making quality, handcrafted furniture and the new workshop and showroom will allow him to increase his share of the market."

For further information on the help and advice offered by Business Link York and North Yorkshire contact 01904 686000, or visit the website, here4business.co.uk