WHILE employers like Dyson at Malmesbury are looking overseas for their workforce, husband and wife partners David and Jackie Crook, are enjoying seeing their company go from strength to strength in North Wiltshire.

Mr and Mrs Crook, who live in Colerne, started their call centre business, Expolink Europe Ltd, in 1996, after one of their female employees experienced harassment at the hands of a client but felt unable to complain.

Mr Crook said: "It was then that Jackie and I discussed setting up a telephone hotline, which could be used by employees to report any kind of problems at work, from fraud, right through to bullying and sexual discrimination."

Seven years on, Expolink is now a market leader in its field and its clients include a large number of multi- national companies, which employ the call centre to provide a 24-hour confidential hotline for their staff.

Expolink's trained telephonists record details of employees' problems and present them to the company for proper investigation.

The call centre also picks up calls for other businesses.

Having recently moved to Greenways Business Park from its smaller headquarters at the Old Dairy in Castle Combe, Expolink has increased its workforce to 115. There are plans to take on even more staff.

Mr Crook said: "Around 90 per cent of our staff come from a three to four- mile radius of Chippenham."