ILFRACOMBE lighting specialists have played a part in making the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver a spectacular success.

S and H Technical Support Ltd, based at Mullacott, already have an impressive history on the national and international stage, but are thrilled with this latest global recognition.

Marketing manager Dave Baxter said the company got the call in October, requesting their skills for the ceremony, which, along with the closing ceremony on Sunday, cost $40 million to stage.

He said: "A few years ago we had done Eurovision in Latvia and the lighting designer from there was acting as a consultant in Canada. Having worked with us before, he recommended us."

And as the entire world tuned in to see the spectacular ceremony, they were treated to a light show, courtesy of the Ilfracombe-based experts who pioneered the Starcloth.

Dave explained: "The ceremony included a section of Canadian history, where the Inuit trekked across the vast expanse of Canada with the stars above them.

"We were asked to build the four different star constellations, showing the Bear, Eagle, Wolf and Buffalo."

Dave said the displays had to be ready in January and while they did not need to travel to Vancouver, there were several trans-Atlantic phone-calls to make sure everything was working correctly.

"They did a rehearsal and everything was exactly what they wanted."

S and H pioneered the easy-to-use Starcloth backdrops, and first used their lighting effects on Top of the Pops.

"After that the BBC loved us," he said.

Their skills have been used to light up everything from BAFTA award ceremonies to the National Lottery shows and Strictly Come Dancing.

They have lavished their expertise on the Sultan of Brunei's son, for a 21st birthday party in Morocco, worked on theatre shows such as Dr Dolittle and on military tattoos at Earl's Court.

Dave said: "We have worked internationally, but this is the first time we have worked on a global scale.

"So now we will be looking to see what we can get on the summer Olympics in London, 2012."