A SERIES of courses are being run to help smaller businesses in County Durham develop.

Free training is available in essential business disciplines covering everything from health and safety, employment law, VAT and data protection to stress management, telephone selling, marketing on a shoestring, and finance for non-financial managers.

They is a mix of half and full-day sessions, staged at the North-East Chamber of Commerce (NECC) headquarters, at Aykley Heads Business Centre, Durham, and at Durham County Cricket Club's Riverside ground in Chester-le-Street, running from February 24 to March 31.

The courses are run by the NECC and sponsored by Business Link. They are available to small and medium enterprises in County Durham and places are available on a first-come-first-served basis.

For more details, contact NECC's Aykley Heads office on 0191-386 1133.