A FAMILY business which has taken London by storm celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend.

Spence Construction, based at Kildwick Hall, specialises in high quality refurbishment of offices, businesses and homes.

It recently completed a major £900,000 project to re-roof Covent Garden, and the pain-staking restoration of United Kingdom House, on Oxford Street, London.

Although the company has major blue-chip clients in the capital, it is extending its work in the north and is refurbishing Glasgow Central Station for Network Rail.

The business was started in Bradford in 1973 by Robert Spence and moved to Kildwick in October 2002.

"We've always been a northern firm, and we recruit the bulk of our labour from the north," said Mr Spence's daughter Lindsey Smith, the company's commercial director. "We moved to Kildwick when we needed to expand, and needed some more offices."

Her brother, Russell, is the chairman of the company while her father continues to be involved on a consultant basis.

And even managing director Michael Williams has known and been a friend of the family since he was a youngster.

They attribute the secret of success to sheer determination.

"We are a Yorkshire firm working in London, and it was hard to get into the market. But once clients realised we could deliver on time, give the quality they wanted and hit the budget target they kept coming back," Mr Williams said.

They also have to ensure companies can keep operating while the work is done - particularly tricky when replacing the roof of Covent Garden.

Their solution was to construct a novel crash deck which allowed them to work on the roof while the market continued below.

Other projects have ranged from basic office designs which they can deliver fast and economically to intricate restoration work - each of the gargoyles on the front of UK House had to be carefully removed and cast to be replicated in stone.

While such success could go to one's head the directors remain firmly down to earth and have recently been helping out South Craven School, Cross Hills, with its garden project.

They have fostered links with local training initiatives and are keen to encourage apprentices to take up the trade.

Tomorrow (Saturday) they will hold a party for staff and clients, held in a marquee at Kildwick Hall and including a champagne reception, a dinner and dance and a firework display.