Blue Orchid searches for business advisers

BUSINESS advice company Blue Orchid has up to £1m to spend on new advisers to help it run a European Regional Development Fund-backed business start-up service.

Blue Orchid, which has offices in Liverpool and Manchester, is assembling a framework of specialist and general business advisers to work on a contract basis over a two-and-a-half-year period.

According to a tender document it is also looking for IT advisers to join the framework which has a total value of £500,000 to £1m.

Blue Orchid, owned by Jim Crook and Heather Hayes, is delivering the start-up scheme around Greater Manchester and in parts of Cheshire.

It is working with a variety of partners including local authorities, Bolton Business Ventures, The Prince’s Trust, Plus Dane Housing and the colleges of Bolton, Bury and Tameside. The plan is to help set up some 4,000 new businesses and create more than 8,000 jobs.