The Great Western Packaging Company, based in Swindon, has just scooped a Bronze award at this year's National Packaging Council's Design and Construction Awards 2003.

The firm, based out at the Cheney Manor Industrial Estate, was asked to submit a design, which from conception to finished article would fulfil the packaging requirements of its customers.

Great Western's entry, which was made with cardboard, was designed for Alphameric Retail Ltd of Andover, which put it to the ultimate test by having shipped overseas and back again as a reliability test.

According to the judges: "The condition of the outer case upon its return was evidence of the rough handling it had received in transit, but the product itself remained in perfect working order."