VIRGIN is hosting a roadshow to help up to 1000 aspiring entrepreneurs get their businesses off the ground.

Since its creation in October 2013, Virgin StartUp, a not-for-profit company backed by Sir Richard Branson, has offered financial support, mentoring and business advice to over 120 aspiring entrepreneurs. It provides start-up loans of £500 to £25,000, backed up with one-on-one mentoring, advice, resources and opportunities to work with companies across the Virgin Group.

The Virgin StartUp Live tour will travel across the country over the coming months and arrives at The Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead on Tuesday July 8 from 5:30pm to 8.00pm.

Experts will be on hand to guide would-be applicants through the Virgin StartUp application process. Attendees will also gain insight from local start-ups already doing it for themselves, plus receive advice from notable business leaders, who are all lending their support, for free, to support the next generation of British entrepreneurs.

Sir Richard said: “We’ve been thrilled at how well the last set of events went down and I hope the Virgin StartUp Live Tour proves to be just as big a hit. The speaker line-up looks fantastic - it’s great to see such strong support from these high profile business men and women who are taking time out to help foster the next generation of exciting entrepreneurs. There are so many incredible people out there who are ready to create exciting new businesses and we’re very much looking forward to finding them.”