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The Winning Opportunities in Walsall (WOW) scheme has revealed it helped to create and safeguard almost 100 jobs and contributed more than £500,000 to the borough’s economy over the past year.

More than 80 Walsall companies have been advised by the £300,000 project, which celebrates its first birthday this week.

Funded by Walsall Partnership through Walsall Council, the scheme offers specialist support through one-to-one mentoring, signposting, interactive clinics and group support.

The founders of the group have also announced that a further 80 places are still available for the government-funded project.

Judith Bayliss, from WOW, said: “Walsall has always boasted a strong tradition of ingenuity and what the first year has proven is that there is still an appetite to do things differently in the town.

“When we talk about innovation it doesn’t have to be just about launching unique products or services. Naturally that is a major benefit, but innovation can also be about the way you treat your customers, how you manage your supply chain and even how you look to take the waste out of your business.

“We’re about 20 companies ahead of schedule and so far have assisted organisations across 12 sectors, including distribution, hospitality, manufacturing, security and training.”

WOW is available to all Walsall companies of any size and sector.

Councillor Adrian Andrew, Walsall Council cabinet member for regeneration, said: “In today’s current climate, we have to do everything we can to encourage business growth in the area and the WOW programme is playing a big role in helping us achieve this.

“There’s no other initiative like this in the West Midlands and we are proud that we have identified innovation as a key driver to future business success.”