A GROUP of Medway traders has uncovered 10,000 business opportunities. The 40 members of Rochester chapter of British Network International (BNI) recently passed their 10,000th so-called referral. The referrals are estimated to be worth £1 million.

The group, which meets every Friday, represents a wide range of local businesses from printing to plumbing and cleaning to car repairs.

Each week they search out leads for their fellow members. Steve Root, of Roots Kitchens and Bedrooms, Faversham, produced the record-busting referral.

He handed it to Chatham Courier services, asking the company to deliver a kitchen worktop to a customer in Lancashire.

Steve said: "Like many members, I have found that a growing proportion of my business is generated through BNI. It also works the other way because more and more of my trusted suppliers have come to me through BNI."

Gary Crouch, Chapter director who runs Anatex, a local internet business in Rochester High Street, said: "The most reliable way to get business is by word of mouth and this is what BNI has perfected and the more we do for our fellow members, the more we get in return.

"We've been working hard to reach this milestone because it proves that the system really works. We reckon that our members have generated business of around a million pounds in only a short time. Now for the second million!"