The district's first-ever support network to help small firms join the Internet age has been launched.

The eBusiness club aims to strengthen confidence in on-line trading and remove the technological barriers that small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) face when trying to trade online.

Bradford Chamber of Commerce has set up the group, which will meet once a month as part of a UK-wide initiative between the British Chambers and UK Online for Business.

Private firms BT, Cisco Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Lloyds TSB Bank are also supporting the club, which aims to advise firms on which technology to adopt to succeed.

Chief Executive at Bradford Chamber of Commerce, Sandy Needham, said: "Small firms in our area are currently holding back when it comes to doing business on-line and, consequently, this lends itself to the erosion of our competitiveness.

"The eBusiness Club will see a coming together of both public and private sectors with the shared aim of helping to solve continuing problems that smaller firms in this district face when adopting internet technologies."

E-trading was identified as one of the district's key growth areas in a recent business study by regional development agency Yorkshire Forward.

Companies joining the group will receive information, guidance and practical business solutions designed to help them painlessly integrate e-commerce solutions into their business.

To find out more companies should contact Scott Sellars at Bradford Chamber on (01274) 230074 or visit the national eBusiness Club's website at www.ebusinessclubs.co.uk.