The 'Monsterpreneurs' campaign builds on the popularity of their previous 'Anatomy of an Entrepreneur' campaign, www.anatomyofanentrepreneur.com, to develop a humorous new approach to recognising the special qualities of an entrepreneur.

Michelle Taylor, a graduate in Fashion Marketing from Northumbria University, decided to set up a freelance design business in April this year after she was told by a leading lingerie buyer that her designs were strong enough to create her own brand.

The North East Chamber of Commerce (NECC), which has more than 4,500 members, has written to chief executives and leaders of every local authority in the region urging them to more actively support businesses in the area.

The Federation of Small Businesses is working with Make Your Mark to run a two-day workshop which centres on the 'Keep Trade Local' campaign.

Striding Out, a national network helping entrepreneurs to achieve the triple bottom line of 'people, planet and profit', selected Nicola Alexander as part of the Global Entrepreneur Week announcement.

The Barclays-sponsored survey of over 250 owner managers conducted between September and October 2008 reflects the gathering storm of recession and finance market turmoil. Around one third of respondents expect to struggle on their pension and half of those aged 60 or over expect that they will have to carry on in business longer than they intended due to the economic downturn.