"Wiltshire is a great place to do business," says Tracy Longdon, who was brought up in Trowbridge but now runs two businesses from her home in Haydon Wick, Swindon.

Tracy, 36, who manages a feng shui consultancy and organises speed-dating events, said she found local support networks for fledgling businesses "very pro-active."

Describing organisations such as Business Link as "brilliant", she said: "There are plenty of people who are more than happy to help, and my advice to anybody starting up a business in this area is simply to get out there and talk to as many people as you can."