A Kingsbridge firm has enjoyed a triumphant night at the inaugural Federation of Small Businesses Awards for Devon.

The Old Bag Company, based at South Hams Business Park, Churchstow, scooped the award for enterprise at the glittering awards ceremony at The Palace Hotel in Torquay on Friday 6 June.

The business beat off fierce competition from Ecards Media, Hemp Fabric and Optix Solutions to land the accolade.

Mother of five Sally Hurst started The Old Bag Company in 2005 and her bags have become increasingly popular year on year.

Tired of struggling to and from the beach with a collection of old plastic carrier bags, Sally decided to take matters into her own hands and design bags to meet the needs of busy families on the move.

It was a target market Sally understood perfectly and her familiarity with the South West helped her identify suitable outlets for her new product. Named by her husband, the Old Bag Company was launched in September 2004 - too late for the spring and summer trade shows, but Sally took to the road and had her bags accepted by 75 shops in 10 weeks.

Sally Hurst, The Old Bag Company: "It's great to be recognised locally because we were born on a beach in Devon and we are striving to move forward and we are taking the world over and this helps us on the way!"

The reason for their appeal, says Sally, is that they meet a simple need. They are well designed, of good quality and sold at an affordable price that makes them appealing as impulse buys, presents for friends - or for those who just want to have one in every colour!

Added to that is the appeal of a marketing strategies that uses Sally (the Old Bag) and her family (Young Old Bags and Little Old Bags) to great effect. Every bag contains a message from Sally's five children and, judging by the response from buyers so far, it's one that works.

The Old Bag Company currently has more than 300 accounts countrywide and abroad and is still growing daily. The product range includes back packs and small fashion bags - known as the Weekend Set, the Shag Bag and the Dirty Old Bag - and is now available through the company's website.

The Old Bag has already come a long way, but Sally is far from satisfied. She has plenty of ideas for new products, including a baby bag, and new markets, especially in the Southern Hemisphere, and plans to drive her company forward from strength to strength.

She told a packed audience in Torquay: "It's great to be recognised locally because we were born on a beach in Devon and we are striving to move forward and we are taking the world over and this helps us on the way!"

In other awards, Bays Brewery won the prize for best new business and Chulmleigh's Fox and Hounds Hotel scooped the gong for innovation.

Delia Colegate, Devon regional organiser for the FSB, said: "It was a wonderful evening, the awards recognised the best of small businesses in Devon and gave the finalists and the winners a platform from which to share and celebrate their achievements."

She added: "A huge vote of thanks must go to our sponsors who supported the awards and gave a great deal of time to the process and we are all grateful to all the businesses that applied, they are all winners!"