A NATIONAL campaign encouraging new business visits Winchester next week.

The Startup Britain Bus comes to the city on Thursday, July 18, carrying experts who will offer support and advice to locals on running and setting up companies.

Startup Britain was founded by eight entrepreneurs and was launched in March 2011 by Prime Minister David Cameron.

Co-founder Emma Jones said, “Since we launched Startup Britain two years ago, we've seen record numbers of people starting businesses and creating their own value in the UK.

“By bringing our bus to Winchester we want to give people the confidence to find their inner entrepreneur - and provide a boost to their own local economy.”

The bus comes to Winchester thanks to ecoskill, which runs online business courses, after it bid for Winchester as a 2013 tour location.

Peter Richardson, of ecoskill, said: “We supported the Startup Britain bus tour last year and were inspired by enthusiasm and range of ideas put forward by the entrepreneurs and potential entrepreneurs who were looking for advice.”

Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, Winchester Business Improvement District and the city council have all supported the visit.

The campaign is funded by private sector sponsors including BT, Dell, Intel and PayPal.

The bus will be outside Winchester Guildhall from 10am.