A TEAM of board game makers from Lymm are hoping their pitch adds up to be the winning package after their numeracy game was shortlisted for a top award.

Britain’s biggest small business competition, The Pitch 2014, has announced that PLYT is among 30 finalists.

Husband and wife duo, Ian and Lisa McCartney, said they were 'overjoyed' to have made the final after setting up the company to improve numeracy through their recently launched board game.

Lisa said: “We are a small business that has grown from a desire to help our own children.

"We created the game because we struggled to find anything we could all enjoy together that would help with numeracy and when we saw how effective it was, we realised it could help others.“

Since its launch in November 2013, the business has gone from strength to strength.

Independent research has proved that playing the game for more than six weeks significantly improves numeracy.

Lisa added: “Since launching PLYT the feedback has been amazing.

"It’s fantastic that the judges have seen the importance of improving numeracy in a fun way and we are thrilled to be given the opportunity to pitch PLYT in the final.”

The couple managed to outshine thousands of entries to earn their place on the shortlist following a selection process that involved live pitches and online campaigns.

The 30 finalists will now pitch to a live audience of more than 300 judges, investors and supporters at the Paintworks in Bristol today, Thursday, with the winner receiving a prize worth thousands of pounds.