A major event in the South Cumbrian business calendar will take place next week.

The Furness Branch of the Federation of Small Businesses is hosting its sixth annual Question Time Event at Abbey House Hotel in Barrow next Thursday, June 27.

It gives the audience the opportunity to ask leading businesspeople and community leaders about the issues which mean the most to them.

The panel this year will include Stuart Klosinski, FEDF project manager, Bill McEwan, former mayor and local councillor, Emma Athersmith, head of fundraising at Cancer Care, Claire Williams, business development manager at PHX, Karina Gallagher, director of Hornby Commercial and Colin Garnet, Barrow BID manager.

The event will be hosted by Phil Collier, former chair of the Furness branch, of the federation.

Suzanne Edgley, the federation's area lead, says "I am looking forward to hosting this popular event this year and introducing our panel of local prominent businesspeople who have agreed to participate. We will, as in previous years, be following the BBC Question Time format, where questions are put to the panel by our audience.

“This is the sixth annual Question Time event and in past years audiences and panels have enjoyed an entertaining and informative evening.

"We are inviting businesses to submit questions for the panel and are looking forward to a lively event."

The free event starts at 5.30pm with a chance to network, with panel taking questions from 6pm to 7.45pm.

Tickets are going fast, the federation said.

To book, visit

www.eventbrite.co.uk