AS part of the Chamber of Commerce Herefordshire and Worcestershire's objective of strengthening links with the Polish market, the second visit to the counties from the Lodz region took place earlier this month.

Lodz is the second largest city in Poland and is the capital of a potential West Midlands partner region.

The International Trade Team organised a host of activities for the visitors including business matching, meetings with companies, presentations and business dinners.

The visitors also visited Clotheshow Live at the NEC, Malvern Hills Science Park, Aston Science Park and Coventry Univer-sity Technology Park.

Eight companies from Hereford-shire and Worcestershire were involved in the visit as the potential partners for the Polish delegates, some of them meeting several Polish companies.

As a result of the visit, several orders were placed and potential co-operation on various projects is planned. A return visit to Lodz is planned for 2006.

The visit was supported by UK Trade & Investment, Advantage West Midlands, West Midlands Confederation of Chambers of Commerce and Government Office.