TWO young property enthusiasts who burst onto the local lettings scene in Hitchin a year ago have scooped a top award in the national Belvoir High Achievers Awards. Luke Mason, 23, and Jonathan Mason, 21, beat off stiff competition from over 140 other o

* TWO young property enthusiasts who burst onto the local lettings scene in Hitchin a year ago have scooped a top award in the national Belvoir 'High Achievers' Awards.

Luke Mason, 23, and Jonathan Mason, 21, beat off stiff competition from over 140 other offices in the Belvoir group to win the Silver New Franchise of the Year Award 2009 at a ceremony at the Belton Woods hotel near Grantham in Lincolnshire.

Since opening the Belvoir office at 32 Bancroft, the duo has brought a refreshing new approach to the local residential lettings market.

"It is a very buoyant sector at the moment as more and more people turn to renting and are looking for well managed quality properties," said Luke.

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DR SAM De Silva a technology and outsourcing partner at Taylor Walton LLP that has offices in Luton, Harpenden and St Albans, has been appointed to the Law Society's Technology and Law Committee and the Stevenage/btc Enterprise Hub Advisory Board.

The role of the Law Society's Technology and Law Committee is to provide advice on technology and e-commerce related legislation (domestic and European) and to provide support in respect of technology to the Law Society and the profession.

The Stevenage Business & Technology Centre (btc) Enterprise Hub Advisory Board focuses on the quality and scope of the business support available and activities delivered through the btc into the Stevenage and surrounding areas

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* TENSION is mounting for Stevenage businessman Mark Needham who will hear tonight (Thursday) if he has been voted the UK's top entrepreneur.

Mr Needham, who runs Widget UK on Arlington Business Park, Stevenage, is one of nine regional finalists competing for the prestigious British Chambers of Commerce 2009 Entrepreneur of the Year Award, sponsored by Staples.

Widget UK is a specialist distributor of mobile phone equipment, dealing with multiple retailers across the UK, including DSGi and Comet, as well as leading ecommerce players such as Amazon and Ebuyer.

The company was the first UK distributor of TomTom and earlier this year became the UK distributor for the company that makes the innovative Flip Video camera.

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THE stockbroking and investment management firm Redmayne-Bentley with an office in Preston near Hitchin has cause to celebrate after being awarded the title 'Best Advisory Broker 2009' at the Shares Magazine awards ceremony.

This is the seventh consecutive year that the UK & Ireland's largest independent broker has received an industry award for its advisory investment management service.