Duo in the business of being heroes

Caroline Moore and Phil Churm triumphed over personal problems to set up their successful storage unit business 'Securit (GB) Ltd' in Staveley, near Chesterfield.

Three years on, and the Chesterfield company has made it onto the final shortlist of the country's top ten 'Business Heroes' in the Barclays Trading Places Awards.

But the road to success has not been an easy one - most recently due to Caroline's diagnosis of skin cancer at the beginning of the year.

Caroline, aged 37, said: "It was when we were applying to enter the awards that I found out I had cancer and we didn't really know whether to go ahead or not - everything was up in the air after the diagnosis.

"But I'm so glad that we did. I am recovering now after an operation in June, and making it through to the final shortlist has been a great boost for us as a company as well as me personally. It's nice to know that our hard work has been recognised."

The battle against cancer is just one of the challenges the couple have faced - from Phil coping with a disability after part of his leg had to be removed when he was just nine-months-old, to Caroline losing her father when she was only nine.

She was also involved in an abusive relationship before meeting Phil, aged 43, and the couple also had to battle to secure financial backing for the project. But now they are enjoying some good news in that their business - which produces simple, solid and secure metal storage units suitable for motorbikes, mobility scooters and caravan equipment - stands the chance of scopping the 7,000 prize at the awards dinner in London in October.