A KEIGHLEY town centre estate agent business which first opened its doors in the summer of 2015 has been formally recognised at a national awards ceremony.

Holroyds, in North Street, competed in the Estate Agency of the Year Awards, which is run in association with The Sunday Times and The Times newspapers, and is sponsored by residential property finding service Zoopla.

The Keighley business, which also now has an office in Bingley, picked up the award for the Best Newcomer in the UK.

A judge's report on the business described it as a "very good" enterprise.

The same report also praised Holroyds' willingness to recruit people who do not necessarily have previous experience in this industry, and singled out its recruitment of three apprentices, who have been paid well above the minimum wage.

Managing director Chris Holroyd, who launched the family-owned firm with his mother Julie in 2015, said: “Winning this award is simply down to the hard work put in by our teams at the Keighley and Bingley offices.

"Not only that, but we will be eternally grateful to all our clients past and present for choosing us and giving us the opportunity to succeed.

"We knew the competition was going to be tough on the day and we were certainly nervous when our category came up.

"When our name was called out it was the best feeling in the world!

"To know that Holroyds are best new estate agent in the UK and we are based in the local area is even better, and we can’t thank everyone enough."