NO sooner had Matthew East and Rosie Ellis expanded their 14,000 sq ft warehouse in Sutton-on- the-Forest by taking on an extra 10,000 sq ft next door, than the huge skeleton pirates moved in.

They were followed by, among other things, monster Golden Guns of the James Bond variety, a selection of undersea creatures, sci-fi alien eggs, and a Wild West wagon or two.

And now that the place is once again bursting at the seams, the couple are having to plan for yet more living space, as the boom in event-themed prop hire reaches almost manic proportions.

Back in 2004, when Rosie of ScenecraftUK Ltd scooped The Press Young Entrepreneur Of The Year title, a lot of their revenue came from crafting bird tables, garden seats, and meeting a demand, particularly in the US, for huge mushrooms and fake bricks.

But now the emphasis has switched to party time.

Ever since Matthew and Rosie launched eventprophire.com on the internet, events organisers have been falling over themselves to get supplies of their specially-created theme props for big name clients, such as Tescos, Sky Television, Gleneagles, five-star London hotels, T-Mobile and Barclays Bank.

And with Scenecraft's staff soaring to 12 (as two more are recruited this week) and with turnover expected to rise to £750,000 this Christmas, the couple are pitching for the Growth Business of the Year and Small Business Of The Year titles in The Press Business Of The Year Awards 2007.

Three years ago, Matthew and Rosie, fresh from Teesside University with degrees in entertainment design crafts, launched their business with borrowed tools in a shed in Strensall.

They soon expanded to premises in Easingwold and from there to the Green Park Business Centre in Sutton-on-the-Forest.

Rosie says: "We have hardly had time to look up from our work.

"The word has got around and now we are regarded as among the top three suppliers of themed props in the country.

"The contracts have come pouring in."