IT ALL began back in 1974 when teenage brothers Stephen and Neville Hall agreed how to spend the £350 they had saved.

Not for them the usual youthful choices of trendy clothes or stereos. Instead, the County Durham pair had their eyes firmly fixed on a second-hand JCB digger.

The brothers' father, John, already ran a successful garage business, but Stephen and Neville wanted to branch out on their own.

The purchase of that first earthmover helped launch a plant hire business destined to become one of the most flourishing in the region.

The boys worked around the clock - Stephen drove the machine and Neville carried out the maintenance work.

Soon a second machine was acquired and the rest, as they say, is history, with the Rushyford Plant Hire company fast flourishing into one of the largest in the UK.

By 1986, the company's impressive growth saw the transformation from the plant hire business into Hall Construction Services, now one of the country's top earthmoving contractors.

Along the way, the brothers also launched Rushyford Transport Services, which boasts a 38-strong fleet.

The company was heavily involved in the construction of the Newcastle Western Bypass and St Peter's Basin, Sunderland, but until work on Darlington's new football stadium came up, had only a smattering of small construction developments under its belt.

The firm had first been hired by club owner George Reynolds in a bid to sort out the waterlogged pitch at Feethams, the club's current home.

Mr Reynolds was so impressed with the way the company operated that he decided to give Halls the £14.7m stadium contract, after parting amicably with initial main contractor Taylor Woodrow last October.

"Despite the sceptics, we were confident that we could do it and do it well,'' said Stephen, who admits that the only part of the deal which makes him uneasy is being cast in the inevitable limelight of such a high-profile venture.

There was never any question, however, of them refusing the challenge: "It was an exciting prospect and the first thing we did was to gather together an expert team.''

It is that team which has not only kept the mammoth development well ahead of schedule, but, through prudent cost management, has kept the ambitious scheme well within budget.

The visible evidence of the company's success has already added a new dimension to the firm, which now plans to bid for other stadium contracts.

At the moment though, it is focused on Darlington's new ground and a client who demands only the best.

Mr Reynolds is clearly delighted with Halls. He said: "I honestly don't think there is another company in Europe which could have done such a splendid and efficient job. I cannot praise this family-run firm highly enough.''

Read more about the building of the stadium here.