St Neots based small business invited to Downing Street to mark Small Business Saturday
Keystone Marketing, a small business from St Neots was one of 100 from around the country invited to Downing Street on Thursday 1st December for a reception to mark the UK’s fourth annual Small Business Saturday on Saturday December 3rd.
Hayley Williams, owner and Managing Director of Keystone Marketing, which provides marketing support to organisations who don’t have time, resources or expertise, joined other small business owners at a reception at No.10 Downing Street attended by the Small Business Minister Margot James.
Prime Minister Theresa May said:
“Small Business Saturday is an opportunity for us to celebrate the success of the UK’s 5.4 million 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.”
Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Greg Clark, said:
“The UK’s 5.5 million 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, a grassroots, not-for-profit campaign, places small, independent businesses in communities across the country in the national spotlight. Its aim is 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.
Small businesses around the UK have planned events, promotions and other activities to attract clients and customers to them not only on December 3rd but also beyond. The campaign team has also completed a five-week nationwide bus tour to all regions in the UK to promote Small Business Saturday locally visiting 29 towns and cities in 27 days.
Hayley Williams, owner and Managing Director of Keystone Marketing shared her views. “We are truly delighted to have been nationally recognised as a top 100 small business this year. The small business community is vitally important and hugely powerful and it's a pleasure to be part of it. We are a small, hardworking team who are driven to deliver an excellent marketing service to other small and growing businesses both locally and nationally. Our business has grown significantly since inception just over three years ago and this recognition really does demonstrate the impact we have made so far.”
“Small Business Saturday has become an exceptional example of collaboration and co-operation with small businesses teaming up in communities around the UK,” explains Campaign Director Michelle Ovens.“We aim to showcase the level of diversity, innovation and talent that is active within our small business sector and persuading people to get out and support their friends, neighbours and family members and reinforce local communities and economies.”
American Express was the founder of the campaign in the US and is the principal supporter of Small Business Saturday UK, as part of its on-going commitment to encourage consumers to shop small. The campaign also benefits from the backing of leading business organisations including the Federation of Small Businesses and Enterprise Nation as well as other corporate supporters including PRS For Music, TalkTalk Business, Vistaprint, Post Office, Clear Channel, STIHL, Dropbox, Facebook, Virgin Media Business and Indeed.
More information on Small Business Saturday can be found on the Small Business Saturday Facebook page (www.facebook.com/smallbusinesssaturdayuk) Twitter page (@SmallBizSatUk) and website (www.smallbusinesssaturdayuk.com).