BEAVER Furniture is full of eastern promise after clinching a lucrative deal to supply a Japanese customer with hand crafted furniture.

Hiroshi Katayama, originally from Tokyo, has placed an order with the Sutton-Under-White-Stone-Cliffe firm, near Thirsk, for a full range of dining room and occasional furniture.

Mr Katayama, who now lives in Alwoodley, near Leeds, works for Pioneer Electrics, and is planning to take the furniture with him when he returns to his native Japan.

Beaver Furniture, which is renowned for its hand crafted products, celebrated its 40th birthday last year.

The family-run firm has an order book that reads like a 'who's who' of British and foreign customers.

The furniture, which carries the distinctive carved beaver trademark, can be found in private homes and public buildings the world over, from Europe to Australia.

David Glegg, who now runs the business, started working for Beaver as an apprentice after leaving school more than 15 years ago.

He is the son-in-law of the late Colin Almack who established the company in 1960. Mr Almack died four years ago.

David said: "This is one of the many overseas orders that we have secured in the last two years.

"It proves that the high quality of our furniture can compete at an international level."

He added: "All our furniture is made with mature British Oak and our craftsmen take the design from prototype to final polish."