STAFF at a Dover company are celebrating winning a national award they did not even know they were in the running for.

Dover Yacht Company, a Volvo Penta dealership based at Granville Dock that carries out boat repairs, won a Volvo national award for outstanding effort and commitment. The award is not one that carried a nomination, so it was totally unexpected.

Managing director, Peter Butler, was on a company conference in Madeira, when he heard the firm’s name being called out.

He said: "This is a one-off award and it came totally out of the blue. When our name was announced I was dumbfounded."

Mr Butler also thanked his staff, saying that the award was a fantastic achievement for the company, which has only been a Volvo dealership for two and a half years.