BRITAIN’S Energy Coast Business Cluster (BECBC) has just signed up its 300th member firm.

It passed the landmark total just nine months after signing up its 250th member.

Chairman Ivan Baldwin said: “To reach 300 is a terrific milestone.

“We’d anticipated that membership would be growing as there’ve been plenty of guests and visitors at recent members’ meetings.

“As ever, the variety among the new names says a lot about what makes BECBC membership so attractive, not only for effective business networking but also as a source of the latest information in this area and opportunities to shape its future.”

The 300th member was Rovtech Solutions of Barrow, established for more than 28 years in the offshore and nuclear sectors as a designer of remotely-operated vehicles and specialist engineering and tooling.

Barry Vernon, of Rovtech, received the company’s membership certificate and a a celebratory bottle of Champagne from Valerie Lecuit of AREVA, the 250th member back in June last year.

Mr Vernon said: “Our prime drivers for joining the business cluster are to improve communications with both local suppliers and clients and to promote the made in Cumbria' ethos of our business. We also want to encourage and support other members in doing the same.”

The organisation, originally known as the West Cumbria Business Cluster, was formally launched in 2005 to give a voice to local businesses, in particular those with a stake in the nuclear supply chain.

Mr Baldwin said: “Our networking meetings are regularly attracting more than 150 people each month, and key organisations see us as an effective route to communicate with all kinds of businesses in the nuclear and decommissioning supply chains.

“Just growing numbers of members is not what we’re about.

"It’s about making connections, creating collaborations and making sure that the investments coming into this area create skilled jobs and successful businesses that can also take those skills into national and international markets.”

The next BECBC meeting is at Energus, Lillyall, from 9am on Wednesday April 6 and will be the cluster’s annual general meeting.

Further information on membership and details of member companies, specialist sector groups and other activities is online at www.becbusinesscluster.co.uk.