Shropshire has a key role to play in helping the West Midlands recover from the recession, businesses in the county have been told.

Members of the area’s business community attended the Rural Regeneration Zone Annual Conference in Ludlow on Friday.

Entitled Catalyst for Recovery, the event saw senior figures from the Zone, Advantage West Midlands, Business Link and the Government’s Rural Advocate Dr Stuart Burgess call for Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire to “enterprise” their way out of the recession.

They urged companies to make the most of renewed support, such as the £16 million Rural Enterprise Centre Network, RE:think Energy and the Redundant Building Grant Scheme, which has created more than 135 jobs in the last year.

Peter Pawsey, chairman of the Rural Regeneration Zone, said: “Rural areas make up 30 per cent of the West Midlands’ population and contribute 36 per cent of the region’s GVA worth an estimated £21 billion per annum – so you can see we are punching above our weight, which is good news.

“We have secured notable achievements in all of our main areas; communities, environmental excellence, skills and a strong economy.

“The Enterprise Centre Network has its two main hubs operational at Battlefields, Shrewsbury, and Rotherwas, Hereford and, when you combine these with spokes at Ludlow and Leominster, we have more than 63 young businesses already established and all creating jobs.”