BUSINESS Link North Manchester will officially unveil itself at an event to be staged at the newly-opened Village Hotel in Bury next month.

The organisation will serve the business communities of Bury, Bolton, Oldham, Rochdale and Wigan.

And the event, to take place from mid-morning on Thursday, October 4, will determine the "Biggest Single Issue in Britain Today."

Hosted by well-known TV presenter Gordon Burns, the launch will involve an interactive, 250-strong panel drawn from the business communities of the five North Manchester towns.

Over the last three months extensive interviews, together with group sessions and telephone research, have helped to clearly define the real issues facing business today.

From initial discussions with more than 100 companies, topics such as "having a permanent overdraft", "needing more customer sales and/or new business" and "if I can just raise the capital" are some of the problems small businesses are having to face. Using the latest interactive live response processing technology, all 250 people present will be able to register their own views and opinions, culminating in the identification of "The Biggest Single Issue Facing Business Today."

Peter Morton, chief executive of Business Link North Manchester, said: "We intend to set things out very clearly from the beginning.

"We have worked hard to research our business marketplaces and to consult with businesses at large to ensure that we focus on services in the areas of need we're identifying through this process."

Business Link North West is served by a team of more than 60 advisers with a wealth of experience and expertise.

The organisation is charged by the Government's Small Business Service with providing business support services to companies with less than 250 employees.

One of the key benefits of combining the previously separate services of the five towns is the huge resource in terms of skills, specialisation and business experience available within the pool of business advisers now serving the whole area.

Mr Morton stressed: "Business support means being able to answer the questions these businesses are asking and to provide them with a thorough understanding of how to make progress.

"If we can be involved from the start, great, but if not, it's never too late."

A web site currently under development will offer 24-hour on-line advice, guidance and contacts for the most common information requests and there are also plans for an on-call business emergency service.

Business people who would like to take part in the event at the Village Hotel next month are invited to contact Business Link North West on 0845 608 3388.