City slickers host rural cousins.

BUSINESSWOMEN from rural Midland areas visited Birmingham to get a taste of enterprising city life.

Twenty-five members of WiRE (Women in Rural Enterprises) went on a day trip to view a host of Birmingham businesses on Monday.

First on the itinerary was a visit to the National Trust "Back to Backs" in Inge Street for a look at the past industrial lives of women.

From there, it was over to Handsworth's 3B business park to learn about black business in the city, and then to see spices company Sunshine Foods, before meeting Birmingham's Chamber of Commerce.

Clare Hill, one of the WiRE tour party, said: "It's about changing perceptions of differences between rural and urban businesses because there are actually lots of similarities, it's just that the problems manifect themselves differently."

A theme day was organised by WiRE last year, with 25 Birmingham businesswomen visiting the countryside for a day's fly fishing.

CAPTION(S):

VISIT... Sunshine Foods owner Hilda Ademiluyi (centre) with WiRE guests Rachel Stoop (left), Amanda Crow, Angela Lloyd-James and Kate Elliott. Picture: Roy Smiljanic