Bradford commercial bankers have helped mark the 40th anniversary of a company they have supported since its launch in 1968.

The Royal Bank of Scotland’s Bradford commercial banking team presented a crystal decanter and glasses to Paul Hodgson, managing director of Skipton-based Bowman Riley Archit-ects.

The firm was established by Ted Bowman in 1968 with Howard Riley joining the practice in 1975 and Geoff Thorpe in 1977. The company has grown into a team of more than 50 and opened a Leeds office in 2005.

Bowman Riley Architects was incorporated in 2004 and operates as a limited company with five shareholding directors – Paul Hodgson, Laurence Teeney, John Coultas, Darren Bush and Matthew Jones, backed up by a team of technical and support staff.

The company is involved in a number of residential, commercial, retail, education and petroleum projects, including Toronto Square, the £8m extension and redevelopment of the former Eversheds headquarters on Infirmary Street, Leeds, and the new headquarters for HML, a subsidiary of Skipton Building Society.