BURY College's Peak Performance project has proved a real winner for a small business.

Eighteen months ago, Rebecca Taylor returned to Bury to set up her own business in the designer fashion trade. Located in Market Street, Spirit is already proving to be a great success and with the help of Bury College is set to stay that way for many years to come.

Peak Performance was designed by Bury College to give local people the opportunity to access a range of higher-level management and professional development courses. Funded by the European Social Fund, the project offers financial support for people experiencing barriers to learning and offers improved access to assessment, guidance, and advice.

Rebecca launched Spirit following a five-year career in the retail trade and looked to Bury College to improve her business and management skills. She is in no doubt that the project is a real bonus for any local small business.

The 24-year-old, who lives in Tottington, explained: "To make a small business succeed can be really difficult in such a competitive market place. The training, support and guidance I have received throughout the project has been outstanding and given me a real competitive edge. I now have the essential skills I need to really drive my business forward.

"Receiving partial funding was an added bonus and without the support provided I would have found it difficult to complete the course."

Rebecca is planning to use her new skills to promote and expand her business and thanks to the support from Bury College, she is confident that Spirit will remain a successful business for the very foreseeable future.

For further information on the Peak Performance project at Bury College, contact Suzanne Marriott on 0161 280 8262.