Outdoor adventure firm Go Ape has picked up a national award in recognition of rapid growth which has seen it expand across the country.

The Bury St Edmunds company, which opened the first of its 30 high-wires courses in Thetford Forest, won the Rural Business of the Year category at the Amazon Growing Business Awards 2016.

Doug Gurr of Amazon said: 'We would like to offer our congratulations to all the winners and businesses highly commended last night.

'Small businesses are the backbone of Britain, and so it's immensely inspiring to hear such a number of success stories, showing that creative ideas and relentless drive is found around the country.'

Go Ape was founded by husband-and-wife team Tristram and Rebecca Mayhew in 2001, and earlier this year revealed plans to create 400 new jobs by opening new UK sites.

It has also moved into the US market and was looking to boost the number of sites from 12 to 17 by the end of 2016.

It employs around 40 people at its Bury St Edmunds headquarters, and last year turned over more than £20m.