Hundreds of small firms sign up for free advice service

SOME 270 firms in Cork, the south-east and the mid-west have signed up for the Small Business Advice programme, a new service sponsored by Bord Gáis Eireann and supported by Plato.

Following an initial six-month pilot in Cork, the programme was rolled out to the south-east to facilitate applications from companies in Waterford, Wexford, Carlow, Kilkenny and south Tipperary in May 2010.

It expanded to the midwest to cover companies from Limerick, north Tipperary and Clare in October 2010.