THE BUSINESS in Ilminster Group are celebrating is celebrating after it hit the milestone of generating £400,000 for its members.

BIIG was founded in April 2015 after the members decided to leave a national group to set up their own independent and more approachable networking meeting.

And now, they are celebrating after generating £400,000 of business for its members since the original group began.

On top of that, January was their most successful month ever with over £30,000 of new business for its members.

Adam French, from Adam’s Locks, is chairman of the group.

He said: "When we set up the group we wanted to support the local business community, to provide a welcoming forum for people to promote their businesses and also get to know each other.

"The plan certainly seems to be working and we’re incredibly proud to have achieved such a fantastic amount of new business for our members."

The group meets every Friday morning at Monks Yard, Horton Cross. They are made up of 20 local business from a wide variety of industries and trades who all support each other and help to develop better working relationships. They network over breakfast, have a chance to promote their companies and enjoy a talk from a guest speaker.

Visitor host Merietta Raymond, from Bright Estates, said: "Networking can be a bit daunting at first but we make sure to provide a big warm welcome to anyone who is new.

"There’s no pressure to join, what’s important is that you feel that you can bring something to the team and want to build relationships in the local business community."

For more information, visit www. biignetworking.co.uk.