ONE of Barclays Bank's top managers has attended a breakfast meeting at the Milford Hall Hotel, in Salisbury, to talk to businesspeople about their aspirations and the challenges they face.

Alastair Camp, medium business and agriculture managing director, heard the views of more than 40 businesspeople on the state of the economy, interest rates, level of debt, organisational risk and what effect inflation and house prices could have for local business confidence.

Salisbury was the first venue of a national road show programme, in which Mr Camp will meet with customers and employees to share directly their business successes and the issues facing them on a daily basis.

He said: "I came away from my visit with a clear understanding of the challenges and real opportunities that face businesspeople in Salisbury.

"The excellent examples of business growth and enterprise impressed me and I was heartened to see at first hand the strength of the relationship between the business community and Barclays. I care very much about what our customers and non-customers think about our levels of service and access to finance and these discussions help me to ensure that the bank continues to meet and deliver world- class business banking solutions."