NEW figures from the Annual Business Inquiry Show reveal that Herefordshire entrepreneurs are hitting the top in the West Midlands.

Of businesses started up in Herefordshire in 1997, 71 per cent survived their first three years of operation - eight per cent more than in the rest of the region.

Now the council wants to build on these results by offering one-off Business Start-up grants to those people setting up their own business.

The funding is offered in conjunction with a free Business Link start-up training course, run by Hereford Group Training Association, and free advice for up to 18 months.

Last financial year more than 50 businesses sent staff on the training course and received a grant helping to maintain the level of entrepreneurship in the county.

Suzanne Cruise, who runs a "virtual office" service called Cruise Control, in Ledbury, was one of the successful entrepreneurs to have received help through the scheme.

"The training given was extremely informative, motivating and, above all, has given me the confidence to carry forward my business idea, making a dream a reality," she said.

For more information on the scheme, contact Herefordshire Group Training Association on 01432 263950 or Business Link on 0800 104010.