A SHARPER performance has enabled a Lake District firm to become one of only 131 companies across the country to win a prestigious Queen's Award for enterprise this

year.

The Cumberland Pencil Company at Keswick secured the award for developing a unique process to apply lacquer to pencils which not only is more environmentally friendly but is also more efficient.

The firm, which employs 84 staff, claims to be the first pencil manufacturer in the world to come up with an alternative method of lacquering pencils, which traditionally uses a solvent-based resin system.

The new method, which has been in the works for six years, was developed by the company's own laboratory staff.

As well as improving staff working conditions, reliability has increased 20-fold and the process is much faster than the old method.

Director and general manager David Sharrock said it was a tremendous achieve-ment for a small firm to pioneer such a significant development in pencil making.

He added: " The Cumberland Pencil Company has been based in Keswick since 1832 and to underline our position as a world leader in pencil manufacture in our 170th anniversary is very satisfying."