A young Ludlow man has been chosen from 700 others as the winner of the prestigious Sir John Moores Trophy -- an award presented by Young Enterprise North-West to recognise excellent business skills in young people with learning difficulties.

Matthew Heaven, aged 24, attends The David Lewis Centre in Cheshire, one of the UK's foremost epilepsy health and educational establishments.

He received the 'Best Individual Achiever in the Team Programme' award at a glittering ceremony at Ewood Park, home of Blackburn Rovers.

Matthew said: "I honestly don't know what I have done to deserve this award. All the teams worked very, very hard so to be chosen above 700 other people is incredibly special. A big thank you to everyone and watch out business world, here I come!"

Matthew has achieved a double first this year -- he became engaged to fellow student Lauren Hand.

The happy couple will be returning soon to live in a flat near Matthew's parents -- Karen and David Heaven in Clee Hill -- and hope to attend college and find supported employment in the area.

The Team Programme is designed for the more diverse needs of young people with special needs or difficulties in learning.

Those involved set-up their own company based around practical teams. They elect a board of directors, sell shares, source raw materials, and design and sell their own products and services.