SMALL businesses and social enterprises across Wyre Forest are being given a “day of inspiration” by business experts from enterprise support group MRE.

New ideas and practical tips for achieving faster business growth and development will be given at the event at St George’s Hall, in Load Street, Bewdley.

Kicking off the morning, on Friday, January 16, will be speaker Isla Wilson, whose new business, Ruby Star Associates, was a finalist in both the National Business awards and Entrepreneur of the Year awards in 2013.

Other speakers include Stephan Natynzuck, of My Big Adventure, who helps disengaged young people make a fresh start with education and Mark Gibson, of Imagematch, who supports the young unemployed to get into permanent work.

Marion Kenyon, of NewStarts, who provides local people on low incomes with re-cycled furniture and an emergency food bank, will also be speaking at the event.

All three speakers will be sharing their experiences of how they started successful small enterprises.

Afternoon sessions will be devoted to practical workshops to help businesses make the most of promoting their services using websites, blogs and social media, led by MRE staff and Gill Hutchinson of Aardvark Marketing.

Entrance to the event costs £15, including refreshments and lunch, and can be booked by visiting unlocking-enterprise.org.uk, or by emailing Sue Fry at suef@unlocking-enterprise.org.uk