SIMON BELL has been appointed manager at North Yorkshire Timber's (NYT) sales centre in Middlesbrough.

Following five years in the Navy, where his final posting was as a radar operator on HMS Ark Royal, at Portsmouth, Mr Bell worked in the construction industry and then moved into sales.

He said: "This is a good time to be joining NYT as the company has ambitious plans for growth.

"My aim is to make sure both our trade and retail customers get good value, friendly service and sound advice on products."

Nick Kershaw, NYT sales and marketing director, said: "We are very pleased to welcome Simon to the team. As a company, our goal is to take turnover from £10m to £15m in the next five years and the five branch managers across the region have key roles in helping us achieve this by developing branch sales."