A new £100,000 fund has been launched in Breckland to support local entrepreneurs looking to grow their businesses in an effort to boost employment and training opportunities in the area.

The Breckland Innovation Den has been launched by Breckland Council, which is inviting local, innovative businesses and new start-ups to enter a Dragons' Den-style process to bid for a share of the £100,000 funding available.

Applicants can bid for a grant of between £5,000 and £20,000 to help them develop their business or idea, with Breckland Council also currently in the process of developing a pack of support services that will be available to help successful applicants.

Councillor Sam Chapman-Allen, deputy leader and executive member for corporate strategy and investment at Breckland Council said: 'Not only will our new Innovation Den help develop employment and training opportunities for local people but it will also help foster and nurture our next generation of local entrepreneurs and businesses who are committed to seeing their business thrive in Breckland.

'If you have a business idea you would like to develop in 2019 or maybe you run a local business and are looking to develop or diversify into new markets you can apply.'

Applicants will be asked to demonstrate how the funding can help them to deliver products or services that are currently not provided within the district or explain how their emerging business can use the seed grant to get off the ground.

Applications to the Breckland Innovation Den will go through a rigorous shortlisting which will be run by Norfolk Community Foundation before people are invited to pitch their idea to a panel of judges, similar to TV show Dragons' Den.

The panel will comprise of Breckland councillors, business leaders, and business school academics who will decide on which ideas and businesses could be worth investing in.

Applications for the Breckland Business Innovation Den can be downloaded from www.Breckland.gov.uk/BrecklandInnovationDen and completed applications must be submitted no later than 5pm on Monday, February 4.