The Macclesfield and Wilmslow Business Awards are still accepting nominations to celebrate local firms.

This week, Alison Smart from silk printing firm R A Smart talks about her firm’s sponsorship of the Innovation and Design award.

Miss Smart, digital print manager at the family firm established in 1972, said they were excited to get behind the awards.

She said: "We’re pleased to be associated with them and we think it’s particularly apt that we should be allowed to present the award for innovation and design as we are a design company ourselves and appreciate how industry demands are ever-changing.

"We are delighted to be given the opportunity to promote the development of our local business community.

"We have many world class businesses on our doorstep that deserve to be recognised and celebrated – especially at a time when being in business is such a challenge." RA Smart, which has 57 staff, is an expert in digital print technology, and is run by chief executive Ron Smart.

Last year, fashion guru Gok Wan visited their offices for a special programme on silk.

Miss Smart added: "We are keen to see how other bus have developed design products and processes to create a commecial advantatge.

"We fully expect this award scheme to stimulate us to introduce more ideas into our own business."

She said they would look at how the idea came about and how it had been developed to create a succesful product which showed commitment to the market.

The awards feature a range of categories, with winners to be announced at a gala dinner on November 10.

Firms eligible are those with SK10, SK11, SK12, SK9, SK7, or WA16 postcodes. You can nominate yourself or another firm on an entry form from mandwawards.co.uk.