Charlton House, the company established by Robyn Jones, a former Edgbaston High School pupil, is celebrating a business gain worth approximately £ 100,000 in annual turnover.

It follows the opening of its seventh contract with Xansa, the outsourcing and technology company.

The new contract is with NHS Shared Business Services in Wakefield - a joint venture between Xansa and the Department of Health.

It is claimed to be the first ever joint venture established between the private sector and the DoH.

Charlton House has taken over from incumbent caterers Autograph to manage a staff cafe service and provide hospitality for 300 on site.

It already holds contracts with Xansa in Bedford, Birm ingham, Edinburgh, Manchester, London and Reading.

Ms Jones, co-founder and chief executive of Charlton House, said: "We gained our first Xansa contract in July 2000. From then on, the business has gradually been extended to include other sites.

"New business gains are great but to build business on the strength of perform-ance at an existing contract is a real vote of confidence in our staff. It shows that we understand the needs of the client."

Charlton House holds 135 contracts nationwide with an annualised turnover of £50 million. Clients include the Treasury, the American Embassy in London and the corporate headquarters of BUPA, Sony (UK) and Network Rail.