Businesses can tap into some of the top acumen the region can muster from next month with the launch of a new network of expertise.

The Entrepreneurs Forum (EF) will hold regular seminars and information sessions offering members and associated members vital insights to help their companies grow.

The organisation has been founded on the firm footing of success.

Sir Peter Vardy, chief executive of Reg Vardy, is chairman of the board. Vice-chairman, Lorna Moran is the chief executive of NRG, a company formed as Northern Recruitment Group in 1976, which has offices across the North and Scotland.

Other board members include Dave Charlton (founder of the Officers Club), Paul Callaghan (managing director of Leighton Group), John Marshall (founder of Durham Pine), Tom Maxfield (founder of Tom's Companies) and Richard Tonks (who founded chemist chain Savers).

The EF is modelled loosely on a successful setup in Glasgow, the Entrepreneurs Exchange, which has more than 400 members.

Its catchline, "igniting business minds", clearly defines its role and, with £300,000 funding from One NorthEast over the next three years, it plans to attract more than 140 members in its opening year.

The newly-formed limited company was established with a great deal of pro bona work locally and has set up home in car sales company Reg Vardy's headquarters at the Doxford International business park, Sunderland.

Eileen Atkinson, operations manager, said: "Our aim is to create a family of entrepreneurship within the North-East to nurture young businesses.

"There are hundreds of support networks across the North-East but none are like this. This is straight from the horse's mouth."

The idea of a network helping businesses grow on an entrepreneur to entrepreneur basis is not new.

But, unlike The Alchemists, formed recently in the region to spur phenomenal growth in a select few firms, the EF will offer in-depth help to all who want to sign up and who meet the criteria.

The specifications for membership and the cost - expected to be in the hundreds of pounds per year, not thousands - have yet to be finalised by a board meeting tomorrow.

However, it is likely that members will need to be owner-founders of a company and to have traded for a certain length of time.

For further information, visit thewww.entrepreneurs forum.net website.

The EF will be officially launched by Richard Branson in Newcastle on February 6.