BUSINESSES in Wear Valley who are looking for world-wide electronic exposure can promote themselves on a new website launched next week.

A regeneration initiative targeting the market towns of Stanhope and Crook is backing the project, which is the first of eleven to go on line.

The Wear Valley portal will provide access to a range of information including entertainment, lifestyle activities, tourist attractions, events and news.

Each business will be offered a free presence on the portal in the form of a three-page micro-site and a link to their own main website, if the have one.

The micro-sites are free until September 2003.

The project is promoted by Wear Valley District Council and Wear Valley Development Agency and sponsored by One NorthEast and the Countryside Agency.

Businesses wanting information should contact Alan Weston on (01388) 761575.