LAST year's Manchester Commonwealth Games will leave a lasting legacy for the economy, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The organisation, which represents more than 17,000 members in Lancashire, Cheshire, Cumbria, Merseyside and Greater Manchester, believes that members from Cheshire to Cumbria could benefit from the goodwill and publicity that the games generated for the region, as well as taking advantage of the skills honed by 11,000 volunteers.

FSB North West policy chairman Mike Pearson said: "Hundreds of small businesses have already benefited in so many ways from the games coming to the region."