THE North East Entrepreneurs Forum has a packed programme of inspiring speakers and events lined up for Spring.

Wayne Hemingway, Sir Peter Vardy, Mike Matthews, and Paul Walker, former chief executive of Sage, are among the names, while visits include one to Facebook's head-quarters in London.

Other speakers include former BBC foreign correspondent Alex Brodie, who now runs Hawkshead Brewery in the Lake District, and Dr Sam Whitehouse, of QuantuMDx, whose products have the potential to revolutionise healthcare in developing countries.

Former fighter pilot Dan Robinson will explain how how he has taken and is building the family construction business, Gus Robinson Developments, following the tragic death of his father.

On Budget day on March 18, members are invited to PwC in Newcastle to watch the Chancellor’s speech with experts, followed up by discussion and comment.

The Forum's annual conference will be at The Sage, Gateshead, on May 14. Speakers include:

Floyd Woodrow, a decorated former Parachute Regiment and SAS soldier and ex-head of the Counter Terrorist Unit who became a director in the oil and gas and technology sectors before establishing security organisation Britam Defence Ltd and Chrysalis Worldwide.

Richard Tait, former Microsoft executive, and co-developer of Cranium, the worldwide success story which he sold to Hasbro in 2008 for $77m. He then created his new business based on Golazo sports drink.

Jamie Combs, founder of Natural Balance Foods, whose Nakd (correct) range of cereal bars and snacks is sold in supermarkets across the world, and Charlie Mullins who started Pimlico Plumbers in the basement of an estate agents in 1979 with just a second hand van and a bag of tools.

Determined to remove the stigma associated with the industry, Pimlico is now London's largest independent plumbing and service company with a workforce of around 200, 160 vehicles and turnover of more than £18m.

Full details of events are at entrepreneursforum.net