TWO Malvern businessmen who run a text communications company have outperformed hundreds of entrepreneurs and been named a regional winner in the 2008 HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards.

The national contest, now in its eighth year, is designed to seek out the most promising start-up businesses in the UK.

Alastair Shortland and Darren Daws, who started Txtlocal two years ago, are now hoping to scoop the top title and to walk away with a cheque for £50,000, courtesy of HSBC.

Their brainchild www.txtlocal.

com brings the power of SMS text message communication to any business, club or community group, offering a simple, low-cost means of sending information to customers and clients.

Txtlocal online was created to make it easy for anyone to set up their own text communications system directly from their PC, sending out news, information and promotional messages in seconds, and for just 4p per text.

Launched in September 2006, the business has been built up with no funding but a lot of hard work by its cofounders and now has more than 15,000 users, including county councils and major organisations such as Nationwide, Islington Council and Emap. Currently in the top three text message services in the UK, the company will soon launch worldwide.

Not content with the progress they have made so far, the entrepreneurial founders of Txtlocal are expanding their range of services, including the ability to send and receive picture messages, and have launched a sister company, LightningCards.co.uk, which enables animated greetings cards to be created online and sent to mobile phones. They are also looking to link this service with a number of major charities.

Huw Morgan, the head of business banking at HSBC, said: “I hope the success of Txtlocal in this year’s HSBC Start-Up Stars Awards will help it go from strength to strength, as well as prove to other budding entrepreneurs that business dreams really can be turned into reality.”

Txtlocal is one of 10 companies battling it out to represent the West Wales and Northern Ireland region in the national finals. Its entry will now be considered by the national judging panel who will select the UK’s top 10 start-up businesses to come to London and convince them why they should be named the Start-Up Star 2008. The overall winner will be revealed at a black-tie gala dinner at London’s Dorchester Hotel on Wednesday, October 29.