Security firm boss David Ward was full of praise for the creative agency which did work for his wife’s business.

So he did more than say “thanks”...he bought the agency.

Ward Holdings, owners of Rochester-based Ward Security, have taken over madcreative, the Maidstone agency offering a range of sevices including graphic design and video production.

madcreative came to the attention of Mr Ward, managing director of Ward Security, when it provided creative services for his wife’s business, Abigail’s Brides in Headcorn.

Said Mr Ward:”Jo and I were both very impressed, not only by the quality of the work and the service, but also by the agency’s focus on encouraging and developing new talent from within the college. This fits very well with our approach to career development.

“As I’ve learned over my years in business, there is a great deal of variation between the quality of work supplied by creative agencies, and it is often very hard for the better agencies to stand out. However, I believe I can recognise talent when I see it, and madcreative is certainly one of the most professional and talented agencies I have encountered.

"By purchasing the agency we will be able to give madcreative the heavyweight backing it needs to truly establish itself, while supporting the further development opportunities of young and aspiring creatives.”

madcreative was founded in 2013 in collaboration with MidKent College. Its remit was to capture commercial projects and present them as work experience opportunities to the college’s creative and media students.

Two years on, and with thousands of hours of student engagement and thousands of pounds of “reward money” paid to student collaborators, madcreative now finds itself with the backing of one of the UK’s leading suppliers of secuirty services.

Agency boses say they are now in a strong position to push ahead with growth.

madcreative manager Steve Cole said:“We look to collaborate with as large a selection of college and university students as possible, from as many different disciplines as we can, and our clients benefit handsomely from this way of working, receiving a huge selection of ideas and options throughout their projects. Meanwhile, the young people we work with benefit from gaining absolutely priceless and very hard-to-come by paid work-experience in their chosen field.”