A WOMAN from Keighley has been put forward for a prestigious award in Thailand designed to recognise the contribution made to that country by expatriate entrepreneurs.

Eileen Denning, 58, was born and educated in Keighley but later moved to Thailand to run a butcher's business with the man she would marry in 2002.

Her firm is called YORKIES and it makes English pies and sausages, providing a taste of home for some of the many English people who live and work in Thailand.

To celebrate their 10th year in Thailand, Mrs Denning and her husband Norman staged a charity fundraiser to give something back to the community.

Mrs Denning explained: "One of our friends here, a retired police officer from Manchester, was married to a lady who came from the north of Thailand in a little village called Yasothon.

"A decision was made to help the local school there, which was in such a bad condition.

"We raised around a million Thai baht through publishing a Yorkshire calendar, and a global recipe book. We also had a charity concert to raise funds, and we built a completely new school with playground equipment, and even computers.

"We moved into new premises in 2011, and expanded our business to employ 20 staff and supply our products to many places throughout Thailand."

Mrs Denning's husband has since died of a heart attack, aged 70, but she has now been nominated for Thailand's Expat Entrepreneur Awards.

Public votes are being cast via the YouTube website, though further votes will also be cast by a panel of judges. People can go online to youtube/C2Wuf_9rFzo view the nomination for YORKIES.