BUSINESSES looking to grow have been given an extra opportunity to get their hands on £10,000-worth of advertising through our Business Boost competition.

The deadline for entries for this prize has been extended until Friday, March 31.

We have joined forces with the chartered accountant Lamont Pridmore to offer free advertising, mentoring and support to enterprises that show growth potential.

Applications are invited in two categories. One for new businesses – up to five years old – and one for established businesses of any age with fewer than 250 employees.

This is the fourth year that CN Group, the North-West Evening Mail's parent company, has run the scheme and our sister newspapers across Cumbria are also taking part.

Graham Lamont, the chief executive of Lamont Pridmore, encouraged as many people as possible to take advantage of the deadline extension.

He said: "What I have found when it comes to competitions is that you want to get around to entering but then you have the demands of the business.

“We are giving the successful businesses that want to take part extra time to get their applications in."

Recruitment specialist Claire Brennan runs Teem Recruitment in Barrow which only started business two years ago.

The firm specialises in offering a tailored recruitment service for around 400 clients both locally and nationally.

Ms Brennan, who has 17 years of experience in the industry, has seen a massive 91 per cent growth in the business when compared to last year.

Unlike a lot of other recruitment companies, Teem only charges its clients when it delivers successful candidates who start on the job.

It also offers a quick and simple registration service for applicants and only suggests candidates who perfectly match job specifications.

It has a database of more than 6,000 candidates.

Ms Brennan said: “Getting through the Business Boost process would mean giving our small firm massive exposure in the local market.

“It would also help us to grow and double our team over the next year to help drive the business forward, by attracting the right people to come and work for us."

She added: “Our growth over the last year has been reinvested back into the business with new software, technology and staff training.

“The prize itself, of £10,000 to spend on advertising, also offers an opportunity to establish and raise our brand awareness, and help to give us a real strong hold in the community.”

Jenna Vernon only founded Collective Comms, a communications agency specialising in social media, public relations and content marketing, in the last month.

Her hope is that the Business Boost prize will give the business a platform to reach clients across Cumbria and help to further cement the firm’s place in people’s minds.

She said: “I’ve just moved back to the area after having moved away and lived in London for the last 10 years.

“I only set up Collective Comms a month ago and I do think that the Business Boost would be a great platform on which to launch my brand and increase awareness of the business in the local area.

“This is the first time I’ve established a business on my own. I’ve worked for a number of PR and digital marketing companies and moved up the ranks in the industry to a point where I was setting up new departments."

She added: “The first month has been really good. I had expected to spend the first few months building my presence, but even since I got started I’ve managed to secure a new client and that’s been a real boost.

“I’m now just trying to meet as many people as possible coming back to the area, because I’ve never worked professionally in Barrow before and the Business Boost would be such a fantastic start.”