THE Lancashire Telegraph’s We’re Backing Business campaign has helped double the number of business start-ups in East Lancashire.

We teamed up with free advice service Business Link North West last year to help firms battle through the economic downturn and grow.

And as Britain slowly pushes out of recession, figures reveal the impact our campaign has had in encouraging entrepreneurs to set up businesses.

Business Link said between April and December last year, it dealt with 693 start-ups compared with 311 for the same period in 2008, a massive increase of 123 per cent.

Dennis Poole, universal service manager at Business Link North West, said: “These figures are extremely encouraging given the current tough trading conditions and they show that entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well in East Lancashire.

“We have been receiving a consistent stream of enquiries from people thinking about setting up their own business and our advisers are trained to deal with any queries that budding entrepreneurs may have, whether it’s about the practicalities of starting a business or questions about how to fund their new venture.”

Business Link offers a team of advisers with a wealth of support and information at their fingertips, including help guides.

Staff can help budding entrepreneurs by answering queries and the service is all free of charge.

For more information about Business Link North West, visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northwest or call 0845 0066 888.