A NEW scheme to help bright ideas make it to the marketplace is set to be launched in East Lancashire.

InVentures will provide practical advice for inventors and innovators, to guide them through the design and business planning stages of developing a new product.

A series of monthly workshops and one-to-one counselling will be offered under the scheme.

"Often working in isolation, it is an uphill journey for many investors to see what needs to be done to make their idea viable and attractive to investors," said Ellis Pitt, Business Link East Lancashire's design counsellor who developed Inventures with innovation and technology counsellor Graham Ashcroft.

"We aim to provide investors with advice that involves all aspects of bringing that idea into reality."

The launch of InVentures will be held on June 11 at Northern Technologies, in Nelson.

Anyone interested in attending should contact Business Link East Lancashire on 01254 607000.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.