A nationwide campaign promoting small business and encouraging customers to shop locally is coming to Lowestoft.

The Small Business Saturday UK bus tour will be visiting London Road North, on Wednesday, November 15.

The event, now in its fifth year, aims to raise the profile of local businesses and promote small independent shops and services which are vital to the local economy.

Michael Ladd, Waveney's cabinet member for tourism and economic development, said: 'We are delighted that Lowestoft has been chosen as one of the stops for the Small Business Saturday bus tour.

'Small Business Saturday celebrates our independent local businesses and the presence of the bus gives business owners a unique opportunity to benefit from free mentoring and business advice.'

Lowestoft is one of 27 stops being made by the bus around the UK and is the only stop in Norfolk and Suffolk.

Free mentoring sessions offering one-to-one support and advice to small business will be available on the bus.

There will also be workshops covering a range of topics, including social media, marketing and accounting.

Outside the bus, local businesses and experts will be interviewed live on social media from the Blue Sofa.

They will be sharing their stories of success, offering advice as well as answering questions from public.

The bus will be appearing in Lowestoft between 10am and 2pm.

Business owners interested in the one-to-one mentoring sessions can pre-book by visiting www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com and registering in the 'My Small Business' section.

Small businesses can also receive free business advice at a series of drop-in events taking place in the upcoming weeks.

Drop-in sessions, organised by Suffolk Coastal and Waveney District Councils in partnership with Nwes, Menta, LEADER, Seetec, the New Anglia Growth Hub and BEE Anglia, will take place across east Suffolk throughout November and December.

These include:

• Wednesday, November 22, at OrbisEnergy, Wilde Street, Lowestoft, between 11am and 2.30pm

• Thursday, November 30, at The Stables, Angel Hotel, Halesworth, between 10am and 1.30pm

• Wednesday, December 6, at Stella Peskett Hall, Southwold, between 11am and 2pm