THE WINNERS AND THE PRIZE

Few places in the world are as mythical as Timbuktu, and many people still believe it to be a fictional place. Far from being the product of vivid imaginations, Timbuktu is in the Tombouctou Region in the West African nation of Mali, on the edge of the Sahara desert.

Following in the footsteps of intrepid explorers such as 18th century Scottish adventurer, Mungo Park, Chris Mountain and two friends travelled to Mali in mid-November last year. He says, "I have my daughter Emily, the marketing manager for Northeast Sheets & Panels, to thank for ensuring our Medite sample made it all the way to Africa. It took a six day trek in 4x4 vehicles to get us and the sample to Timbuktu - even though our luggage didn't quite make it with us! We were amazed and humbled to find ourselves in the evocative city of Timbuktu; a place suffering unbelievable poverty, but I have never met a friendlier people."

Wood is in the Mountain family's blood; Chris's father Geoff Mountain was a buyer for Arnold Lavers, and in the 1970's, one of the first importers of Medite from the US, before the Clonmel plant was built in Ireland.