Raise a glass to the winner of the New Business of the Year award, Bradford Brewery. Launched in the early part of this year as part of Bradford Council's Growth Zone Initiative, the brewery, bar and pie and mash shop has really taken off.

Managing director Matthew Halliday, 29, said: "It is incredible. For three months we have been shaking in our boots not knowing what was going to happen."

He added: "I have always been a big beer drinker and a proud Bradfordian. Every other city in the world has a major brewery - why not Bradford?

"Bradford has some negative images - hopefully we can turn that round.

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"Give us five years and hopefully everyone will know Bradford Brewery."

The opening of the business, which is based in the former headquarters of Shaw Moisture Meters on Rawson Road, marked the return of the brewing industry to central Bradford for the first time in more than 50 years.

Initially the brewery produced beers for sale in its own venue but last month started to roll out supplies to other pubs and bars.

Matthew said last month: "We are overwhelmed by the demand for our Bradford beers, and by the support we’ve had from local publicans and all the emerging Bradford businesses. We are now well on our way to our target of getting Bradford beers onto all the great bars across the district. Our other aim is to take beers brewed in Bradford out further afield – delivering with them the message that Bradford is well and truly back on the map."

Highly commended by judges were comic book shop It's A Trap! and Cottingley-based IT firm Advancery Ltd.