Princess Anne has paid a “flying visit” to Silsden to honour a local company.

She landed on playing fields in a helicopter and was taken by motorcade to Snugpak, in Howden Road.

The specialist sleeping bag and outdoor clothing company won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise this year after boosting exports by 77 per cent since 2006.

The Princess Royal called in on Friday to officially present the accolade.

Company bosses took her on a tour of their Waterloo Mill premises, explaining the process and introducing her to members of the 54-strong workforce.

At the end of the tour, most of the staff assembled in the packing and dispatch area, where the princess unveiled a plaque commemorating her visit. Also present were the mayors of Silsden and Keighley and the vice Lord Lieutenant of West Yorkshire.

Outside Snugpak’s entrance, a small group of residents watched the princess arrive and depart.

The firm’s managers said they were delighted with how the visit had gone. Co-owner Susan Parrish said: “It was great for the staff as they’ve worked so hard.

“These aren’t the best times, but we’ve still been able to recruit more staff. A lot of our workers have been here a long time and some of them have skills which are now hard to find.

“She [Princess Anne] asked me why we do so well in the export market.

“I think it’s not only because we’ve a good product, but also because people who are ordering stuff from places like China can be waiting up to five months. We’ve been known to turn products round in only a week and people can come to us and discuss things and have alterations made.”

Sales director Darren Burrell said the princess showed interest in the firm’s flexibility, its response times for urgent orders and its breadth of products.

“We were a little nervous beforehand because, of course, you never know what to expect, but she was very down to earth,” he said. “In terms of future benefits for us, a royal visit does create a lot of interest from our customers and puts us on the map.

“When people see these big multinational companies they think maybe we can’t compete, but we are out there and are doing well.”