NEW businesswomen in the north west are certainly making their mark.

Barclays has disclosed that the region is one of the top for female start-ups with 11 women per 1,000 setting up in the north west.

And in the UK as a whole, entrepreneurial activity among women in the UK has grown by 28 per cent since 2000.

Research shows that the number of females setting up in business has grown from 117,000 in 2000 to 150,000 in the last year - the highest level ever recorded.

Eight in ten people believe that it is now easier for women to start their own business and this is evident among so-called singletons, where it has increased by 11 per cent since 2000, to 26 per cent today.

The main drive behind the overall surge in female start-ups are wanting to be their own boss (39 per cent). Gaining more independence was also found to be a motivating factor for women setting up in business.