UK women's new network for business

UK Industry and regions minister Margaret Hodge is to launch a 1,000-strong network to help and inspire women to start businesses. The network will target women over 30, who are often recent mothers, and those over 50, after children leave home.

The main impetus behind the move has been the "stark statistic" that if the same rate of women entered into business here as in the US, we would have 700,000 more UK businesses, Ms Hodge told the BBC. Such an increase could boost UK wealth by £23bn, she said.

The women, existing female entrepreneurs, will visit industries, schools, universities and communities, to encourage others to start firms. The Regional Development Agency (RDA) will be charged with recruiting the "army", with each region taking on about 100 women each.

The network will work closely with the Women's Enterprise Task Force, launched November 2006, to assess how regional economic strategies are contributing to female-run companies nationally.