Palgrave Brown, the £66m UK timber engineering company whose headquarters are in Brinscall, enjoyed global coverage through their involvement in the race.

Around 7.6 million viewers in the UK, and an estimated global audience of more than 120 million in 180 countries, saw the name Palgrave Brown emblazoned on the winning Oxford boat as it powered to victory in the154th annual boat race.

In fact, the boat was named in honour of Alan and Alastair Palgrave-Brown, twin brothers who both coxed for Oxford around the time of the Second World War and whose family went on to become benefactors of the University Boat Club.

The Palgrave-Browns' family business was a timber importer and merchant based in Norfolk and when today's company was selecting an identity to reflect the expertise it was able to draw on from among its corporate group, Palgrave Brown was viewed as the name with the best-known heritage.

Steve Pinner, operations director at Palgrave Brown, said: "The national and international exposure we've had as a result of the boat's name must be worth millions! We're pleased that Palgrave Brown's established tradition of timber expertise lives on and are extremely proud to have this association with the famous Boat Race."

The Boat Race is one of the most prestigious and longest-running events in the UK sporting calendar, having first been held back in 1829, and is seen as marking the start of the English 'social season'.