NEW technology is giving women in Exmoor the opportunity to launch businesses without having to commute or move to towns and cities.

These are among the findings of a research survey among 32,500 women throughout the UK by the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor at London Business School. Commissioned by Prowess, a national network of organisations that support women in business, the research found that women are twice as likely as men to launch a business based on technologies that have been available for less than a year.

What's more, 6.6% of women based in rural areas have now set up their own businesses, compared with just 3.6% in towns and cities.

Stuart Annett, of Business Link Somerset, said: "This research is music to our ears, because it's highly relevant in several ways to life today in rural Somerset. In many areas, the changes in farming methods means there are fewer established employment opportunities in the countryside, meaning people either have to move to find work or set up their own business. For communities throughout Somerset, boosting the local economy with new businesses is vastly the preferable option."

Business Link also has a specialist focus on helping female entrepreneurs. It is planning a Women in Enterprise event on February 27 in Bridgwater.

For more information, call 08457 211 112 or visit the website www.businesslinksomerset.co.uk."

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