THAMES Business Advice Centre (TBAC), which helps new businesses through their first critical years, has reported an increase in clients of 20 per cent during the last year.
Chief executive Roger Cowdrey told the organisation's AGM that -- despite the increase -- client satisfaction with counsellors remained high.
He said that TBAC had also achieved commendations for its business training activities.
The judging panel of the National Training Awards had said TBAC "is consistently achieving its objectives with success rates better than the national average."
TBAC has been chosen as one of a consortium of five to manage the Department of Trade and Industry's £75m incubator loan fund.
Mr Cowdrey said the incubator business centre at Grove had hosted 109 businesses and created 450 jobs.
Only five businesses had ceased trading.
He added that, in the future, TBAC would act as a referral agency, directing clients to appropriate experts.
He said: "I visualise TBAC as the centre of a wheel -- standing four square with the client and directing them down a variety of spokes of the wheel to the appropriate specialist."
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