OUR local area has seen a record number of business start-ups and each week I visit companies who want to expand and grow.

It's one reason why Worcestershire's the third fastest-growing area of the country.

Exports are crucial to economic prosperity and lots of local firms know this. I'll name a few: hops grown in the Teme Valley are exported to micro brewers in America and the Friday Beer Company is aiming to sell our locally-brewed ale there too. Fruit and veg grown in the Vale of Evesham travel to restaurant tables all over the world. Biotech International in Martley sells revolutionary disinfectants far and wide and Atwell International’s brake system is sold from Hallow and installed in lifts in Asia and the Middle East.

The Government is aiming to more than double UK exports and help 100,000 companies in the UK export for the first time, making the market worth £1 trillion.

Last month, Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce organised an important event to help local companies get the first foot on the export ladder and the local UK Trade and Investment team were on hand to give advice and help to find the right trading partners. Selling overseas for the first time can be daunting and there's lots of help available, some financial, some practical.

Exporting is great and perhaps there's a local business starting locally this year that will follow Lea and Perrins Worcestershire sauce and Malvern Water to worldwide brand recognition.

Morgan Motors is one of our most high-profile local exporters.

Politicians aim to help free trade by negotiating market access. The ongoing Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership deal between the US and the EU is an example of how we can help companies like Morgan to sell their products abroad more easily by tackling non-tariff barriers to trade.

Not all exports are as visible.

It was great to see our local cyber security firms in "Cyber Valley" singled out in Tech City's 2016 report on great British businesses.

I’ve just come back from India and Turkey where I was there to help promote trade in financial services - actually the UK's biggest export industry.

Another reason why it's so important we link Worcestershire to the world with superfast broadband, so we can link Mamble to Mumbai and Inkberrow to Istanbul.