RON O'Keefe knows a great deal about stained glass after years spent supporting his artist wife as she established a reputation for her glass work.

Now, Mr O'Keefe has turned his expertise into a business, setting up North-East Stained Glass Supplies in Consett.

Mr O'Keefe got help from the Derwentside Industrial Development Agency (Dida), which helped him to prepare a business plan and apply for grants and bank funding.

He has been able to extend the premises in Medomsley Road, as a result and recently took on an employee.

One of the bonuses of the business is that his wife Maralyn, who has attracted commissions for her work from around the world, now has all the raw material she needs on her doorstep.

Mr O'Keefe decided to launch the business when the only other supplier of stained glass in the North-East closed down.

He said: "I felt there was a lot of potential. I talked to Dida and in a short time I was up and running.

"My customers now include the National Glass Centre in Sunderland, colleges, universities, a variety of business and individual artists."

Mr and Mrs O'Keefe's relationship with Dida began when Maralyn started her design business in 1998.

Mr O'Keefe did the agency's business awareness training programme and recommends anyone thinking of starting a business in the Derwentside area to do the same.

He said the programme of one-to-one counselling was especially useful.

"A lot of people starting out in business don't realise just how much free help there is available and how valuable it can be to getting you off on the right foot."

The Medomsley Road premises houses another two successful businesses.

Glass Design UK, deals with the work produced by Maralyn, while The Glass Gallery exhibits work by more than 70 artists, and has sold work worth more than £180,000 to international visitors.