Bosses of an international knitting yarn company based in Silsden have paid tribute to the hard work of their dedicated staff after collecting a royal award.

The Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire – the Queen’s representative in the county – presented the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in International Trade to King Cole, which has its headquarters in Elliott Street.

The Lord Lieutenant, Dr Ingrid Roscoe, was joined by Keighley MP Kris Hopkins, Bradford’s Deputy Lord Mayor, Councillor Mike Gibbons, and Graham Percival, the Deputy International Trade Director at UK Trade and Investment at the presentation ceremony at its base yesterday.

Company secretary Colin Glover said: “This is something that all the staff have been involved in.

“It is very much a tribute to all of their hard work. It wouldn’t have happened without them.”

King Cole, which sells knitting yarns, patterns and ancillary products and employs 28 staff, was honoured after achieving a 150 per cent growth in export sales since 2008.

Mr Glover said that the company, which sells across Europe, Canada and the Far East, was expecting even better sales at the end of the latest financial year.

A total of 209 Queen's Awards have been announced this year for business achievement – 151 were for international trade, 50 for innovation and eight for sustainable development.

King Cole director Mike Wilson, said: “It is absolutely fabulous for our staff to collect the award and meet these people they would never normally get to meet.

“Everybody has loved it.”