NEW Hampshire gallery Art House has scooped the £20,000 prize in the Daily Echo backed Aon Business Accelerator competition.

The Southampton start-up pipped rivals Electracare and Calm Amongst the Chaos to the £10,000 cash prize and £10,000 worth of advice from business experts Aon.

Business Accelerator challenged fledgling companies to show how they can make the best use of a £10,000 cash lump sum.

The competition, the first of its kind in the region, was aimed at highlighting the wealth of entrepreneurial talent in Hampshire.

Art House bosses impressed the judges - Southampton Chamber of Commerce president David Tipple, Aon commercial insurance director Rosemary Gilmour and Daily Echo business editor Gareth Lewis - with its plans to use the cash to improve the display of its artwork and create a sales driving website.

The Bedford Place gallery and coffee shop, which has only been open five months, hopes to use the investment to dramatically increase turnover, from £7,500 in the first five months to more than £50,000 next year.

Known for its prominent advertising boards claiming 100 Artists Wanted' and "Original Art from £15", the listed gallery currently has 24 artists on its books, but aims to get up to 40 as soon as possible.

David Tipple said: "Winning the prize and spending it on what they plan to spend it on will make a difference to a lot of people very quickly, both to the business itself and to the community as well as to the artists and customers.

"So because there is an immediate payback for lots of people, and the proposed spend will continue to benefit those groups of people in the future, they win my vote."

Rosemary Gilmour said: "I was torn between Calm Amongst the Chaos and The Art House.

"However, my choice for the winner is The Art House as I think the business has potential to spread from Southampton and benefit the most people in the area as more and more artists become involved.

"The company does need direction to best use its potential."

Art House founder Paul Malec, 55, said: "I can't believe it. It's not sinking in yet.

"It is amazing and it's going to allow us to do all the things we set out to do in the first place.

"It will allow me to promote art to everybody.

Paul, a former casino croupier, ultimately plans 10 Art House outlets across the UK, added: "I am an ambitious chap and this is my big chance. This is just the first step."

The Daily Echo will revisit the Art House later this year to find out how it has fared with its windfall.