ROY'S Sweets in Urmston market has joined the Counter Action roll of honour.

Roy Birtwhistle, 52, of Gilpin Road, has sweetened the lives of his many customers for more than 12 years.

He opened his stall in the food hall of Urmston market in 1993 after a bad back had stopped him working at his old job as a photographer for an advertising firm.

Roy said: "I'm really chuffed. It's very nice that people took the effort to nominate me. The best thing about the job is being able to meet many different people."

"I think it makes all the difference to get to know your customers, have a chat, bring a smile to their faces - it doesn't matter whether they spend 10p or a few pounds."

The customers who nominated Roy for the award, Jean Bickerton, of Urmston Road and Amanda Frost, of Crofts Bank Road, both think of him highly because he has an excellent relationship with his customers.

Jean said: "He's a very kind person, there is nothing he wouldn't do for his customers." And Amanda added that she considers Roy's Sweets to be "the best sweet stall around."

Since the stall opened, Roy's Sweets has become well known in the area for its vast selection of traditional style sweets in jars; such as the range of herbal sweets and liquorice-flavoured Pontefract cakes.

Roy explained: "I think we're the only one in the district that does them. It is different from what you can get anywhere else. That's how we keep going.

"There's not a week that goes by without someone stopping and commenting about how nice and unusual it is to see all their old favourite sweets in jars - ones they thought you couldn't buy anymore."