Small businesses from Suffolk and north Essex were among 100 from across the UK invited to a reception at 10 Downing Street ahead of last week’s Small Business Saturday event.

Among the guests at the event were Justine Paul of Suffolk Market Events, based Little Cornard, Paula Partridge, owner of Anglia Indoor Karting in Ipswich, Jason Hawkins-Row of Aponic, from Acton, near Sudbury, and Angela Berry, owner of The Lampshade Company in Colchester.

The reception, on Thursday last week, was attended by the Small Business Minister, Margot James, with Prime Minister Theresa May and Business Secretary Greg Clark also sending messages of support.

Mrs May said: “Small Business Saturday is an opportunity for us to celebrate the success of the UK’s 5.4m small businesses, from family run restaurants, to innovative tech start-ups, to local corner shops.

“I’m delighted that we had such a great representation of firms here in Downing Street to mark this event and recognise the prosperity they bring to the UK.”

Mr Clark added: “The UK’s 5.4m small businesses are the backbone of our economy, creating millions of jobs in communities across the country and helping to build an economy that works for all.

“I am proud to be joining Small Business Saturday in championing them, and would encourage as many people as possible to get out to their local high street this weekend to do the same.”

Small Business Saturday is not-for-profit campaign which aims to prompt people not only to spend money with small independent businesses in the run-up to Christmas but also to create a mind-set to support them all year round.