BUSINESS leaders in the county have backed our region to “buck the trend” and prosper during these difficult economic times.

Lizzie Parry

BUSINESS leaders in the county have backed our region to “buck the trend” and prosper during these difficult economic times.

Suffolk is bursting with positive stories of companies investing and growing in the face of challenging times ahead.

John Dugmore, chief executive of Suffolk Chamber of Commerce said the county is home to a range of exciting, influential businesses including BT and the Port of Felixstowe that will help Suffolk survive.

He said: “Selecting the right location is key to the success of any business, and that is why so many quality organisations choose to establish themselves here in Suffolk.

“Suffolk leads the way in innovation, and is home to BT's research and development laboratories, in shipping we have the UK's largest container port handling an incredible 40 per cent of all inward and outward container trade and on top of that we are the home to the British racing industry.”

Mr Dugmore said one biotech company, Genzyme Corporation, was due to invest a staggering �55million into new facilities in Haverhill.

He said: “This is just a taster of some of the innovative and exciting industries in Suffolk - we have a lot to be proud of with a great business-base across all the county towns, an excellent county-wide educational infrastructure, and vast amounts of strategic regeneration and investment taking place across the county.”

Renewable energy is another sector flourishing in the county with the UK's largest wind turbine off the coast at Lowestoft as well as the offshore renewable energy business centre OrbisEnergy.

And the newly opened University Campus Suffolk is the largest investment in higher education in the UK boosting the local economy and reversing the 'brain drain' away from the region.

Vimmi Hayes, inward investment manager for Choose Suffolk, the local development agency said: “We are pleased that, even during this period of economic uncertainty, the long-term benefits of locating in Suffolk such as competitive commercial land and property, available skilled workforce, proximity to London and indeed quality of life, is holding the county in good stead.”