ANDREW Wilkes and Associates Ltd (AWA), with offices in Darwen, has won the Queen's Award for its integrated site acquisition, town planning, and design for the telecom industry.

The Queen's Award for Innovation is one of the UK's most prestigious business accolades, and is presented to companies which have demonstrated outstanding innovative achievements and continuous development, resulting in substantial improvement in business success.

Andrew Wilkes, managing director, said: "The use of mobile phones has grown rapidly.

"New services will be offered soon and the need for discreet antenna and mast sites is increasing.

"We work with the national phone operators to ensure that the sites and designs are as unobtrusive as possible. This way users benefit from improved network coverage whilst the masts remain discreet and appropriately placed.

"The business has grown from very humble beginnings to the sixty-strong team we employ today. Winning the Queen's Awards means a great deal to us, as we have strived to continually improve the service on offer.

"We have developed a comprehensive package which incorporates all aspects of site acquisition, planning approval, design and build. Our aim is to make the antennae more aesthetically pleasing, blending into the landscape in which they are sited."

This all-inclusive package has proved a great success and raised approval of clients' planning applications from 70 per cent in 1995 to 92 per cent in 2000.

Andrew explained: "As staff, clients and turnover grew, the business expanded opening offices Darwen and in Northern Ireland. Branded as AWA in May 2000, the company now handles site acquisitions for all five of the mobile phone operators across the country."