IT BEGAN more than 40 years ago with one antique amusement ride and has grown to become one of Scotland's biggest crowd pullers.

M&D's Theme Park at Strathclyde Country Park attracts 650,000 visitors a year.

Run by brothers Matthew and Douglas Taylor, it has won accolades from VisitScotland and praise from the business community.

Now the family-run firm is a contender for the Evening Times Favourite Business Award at this year's Glasgow Business Awards.

Douglas, 55, said: "It is always nice to see what you have spent your life working towards being recognised by the public.

"I don't know if we'll win, and we'll need to see what happens when the votes are counted, but it's nice that what we are doing is attracting the attention of the public and they like what we do."

Although M&D's as a business was launched in 1996, it actually began in 1966. Strathclyde Country Park had been created, and Douglas and Matthew approached the council about creating a funfair at the site.

The council was supportive, but some of the financial institutions weren't.

Douglas said: "They listened to what we were suggesting but were completely unsupportive. Bigger companies had suggested doing the same and here we were, two boys from Bellshill with hardly any money, suggesting the same.

"But we went for it." And their gamble paid off.

At M&D's, £350,000 is being spent on the new centrepiece building in the shape of a Spanish galleon ship.

Douglas said: "We'll keep adding attractions until the day comes when we add a new ride and the numbers visiting don't increase.

"When you're in business you can't tell where the end point is going to be - we didn't know that this is how big it would become.

"But we always knew this was a business built by local people, for local people, and would employ local people. And we've stuck to that."

The Evening Times Favourite Business Awards is a unique category at the Glasgow Business Awards, organised by the Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Bank of Scotland Corporate.

The winner is decided by you - Evening Times readers.

Every week, we'll focus on another two contenders, telling you a little more about them.

On Tuesday we'll be speaking to the team behind one of the city's best loved restaurants, Mr Singh's India.

The names of the other firms in the running are in the box above.

We want you to tell us who deserves to win. Just fill in the form on the right or send an e-mail to awards@eveningtimes.co.uk Nominations from businesses for other awards are being accepted until September 5 and the gala final will be held on October 23 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.

For more information visit www.glasgowbusinessawards.org