OH, WHAT a night! A Southampton advertising agency that was born 25 years ago celebrated its special anniversary in style.

Communications group Lawton, which now employs 110 people and has a £15m-plus turnover thanks to big-name clients such as Carlsberg and IBM, held an unforgettable party at St Mary's Stadium.

Hundreds of local staff, former employees, family and guests enjoyed the champagne and black-tie event on Friday night.

Founder Mike Lawton is pictured above with management colleagues including Tony Clarke, a non-executive director of Lawton Group, who was the man who guaranteed the bank £10,000 so the business could get off the ground on April 2, 1979. It is now worth, conservatively, £10m.

For more pictures from this event, see the May issue of Hampshire Business South Magazine, available free from the Daily Echo headquarters from April 29.

To order copies, contact subscriptions administrator Peter Bullwinkle on 023 8042 4722 or e-mail peter.bullwinkle@soton-echo.co.uk