HUNDREDS of people attended a festival of events in Clacks this past week, as Clacks Business Week proved to be another rousing success.

Kickstarting last Monday, there were almost two dozen separate events set down for the third annual event, bringing members of the business community together in Clacks.

Proceedings were brought to a close with a hugely successful charity lunch on Friday, with the lavish surroundings of at Inglewood House & Spa providing the backdrop.

Margaret Mary Rafferty, outgoing MD at Clacks Business Week organisers Ceteris, was on hand to officially close the lunch, which raised £1895 in total.

This included a £500 donation made on the day by Inglewood House for Scottish Autism's Makers Café and community Hub in Alloa.

Margaret Mary thanked all Clacks Business Week sponsors, speakers, event hosts and attendees for their enthusiasm, time and effort in helping to make 2019 "the biggest and best yet".

She told those in the crowd that there had been more than 600 attendees at the 22 events held across Clackmannanshire last week.

Clacks Business Week provided Gary Wilson, who is taking over from the retiring Margaret Mary as MD of Ceteris, with a hectic introduction to the Clacks Business Community.

Indeed, it proved to truly be a baptism of fire as it was only his second week at the organisation.

He said: "It was a very timely week for me. Margaret Mary introduced me to some key contacts, Ceteris tenants and other leading businesses across the area.

"It was a real pleasure to see the local community working in partnership with the Ceteris team to put on such a wonderful calendar of events.

"I am absolutely thrilled to have joined Ceteris and look forward to continuing the good work that Margaret Mary and everyone at Ceteris is known for."

The focus of Clacks Business Week 2019 was innovation in Clackmannanshire, a key tenet of Ceteris' work in the county.

Over the last year the organisation has supported 110 start-up businesses and 35 growth businesses in Clackmannanshire.

It is has also seen a number of businesses moving into the area, with dozens of new jobs created.

For more information on the group, visit ceteris.co.uk