THE man who took the fitness industry by storm has stolen the show at this year's Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards.
Duncan Bannatyne was crowned North's Overall Entrepreneur of the Year.
He will go on to contest the overall title in the awards, sponsored by the London Stock Exchange, The Times and UBS Wealth Management.
The Darlington businessman was rewarded for building his Bannatyne Fitness empire, which he has grown to become the UK's largest independent health club operator.
Established in 1997, Bannatyne Fitness now has clubs across England and Scotland, employing more than 1,000 people.
In 2000, Mr Bannatyne launched a second healthclub brand Just Fitness.
The judges praised his ability to spot gaps in the market, which had made Bannatyne Fitness his third successful business, having previously built up and sold Quality Care Homes, a nursing home business, and Just Learning Limited, a company providing nursery accommodation.
The evening was a double coup for the region as Brian Jobling, of Gateshead firm Eutechnyx, was awarded the North's Young Entrepreneur title.
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