YOUNG Maidstone entrepreneur Terri West has won a business accolade from Prince Charles. She shared joint third place in the Prince's Trust and Royal Bank of Scotland Group Business Awards presented in London.

Terri, 24, founder of the FieldForce Agency, an enterprise that recruits, vets and supplies high-quality promotional staff to the likes of Giorgio Armani, Ralph Lauren, L'Oreal and Clarins, won £1,000.

She said: "Having my prize presented to me by the Prince of Wales was a thrill - the certificate will be framed and have pride of place in my office. I think it's important to make the effort to enter business competitions, because it helps you to focus on your longer term business strategy - and, hopefully, also gives other young people the inspiration to go for it!"

Terri, a former student at Maidstone Grammar School for Girls and West Kent College, worked for L'Oreal Paris for several years. She was unemployed for some time before starting her business from a spare bedroom in her mother's house.

She was helped by a Prince's Trust Business Programme loan of £2,500 and business mentor Colin Gibb, who lives in Maidstone. Nearly two years on, she now rents an office in Maidstone, has more than 600 staff on her books and expects turnover to exceed £200,000.

More than 200 young businesses from around the UK entered the competition, with 11 reaching the final. Terri shared third place with Christine Sadler of Christine Sadler Designer Jewellery in Ayr, Scotland. Top prize of £4,000 went to Jamie Rowland, 'The Bicycle Doctor' from Porth, Wales, with second prize of £2,000 going to Graham Nicoll of Grazies Corporate Health and Fitness Training.