SETTING up in business during a recession may sound risky, but under the Government’s New Enterprise Allowance Scheme many budding entrepreneurs have found a new lease of life by becoming their own boss.

In fact 32,000 new companies have been formed under the scheme since its launch in 2011, with nearly 4,000 of those in Yorkshire and the Humber.

And Clare Kilcoyne formed one of them in York.

Called Fruits Of The Florist, her business produces ingenious, bouquets of fruit and chocolate for weddings. Clare has even secured a contract to supply a large hotel chain and says she can’t praise enough the scheme that helped turn around her life after she was made redundant.

We think it’s great to see schemes that offer help have not become victims of the continuing austerity measures and especially good that the Government recently announced its extension until 2016.

As Clare says, if you have the skills or product to make a go of it in business, why not talk to your job centre advisor about the NEA scheme.

Who knows, it might land you an appearance on Dragon’s Den.