• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer

News and entertainment worth sharing – York and North Yorkshire

  • News
  • Things to do
  • Radio
  • Vouchers
  • Categories
    • Business
  • More
    • Comments
    • Advertise
    • Contact us
Castle Howard summer concerts 19 - 21 August
Castle Howard summer concerts 19 - 21 August
Castle Howard summer concerts 19 - 21 August
Castle Howard summer concerts 19 - 21 August

Dragon’s Den star champions two York business women

Theo Paphitis with Laura Clarke (left) and Wendy Harris
Wednesday 7 March, 2018 @ 10.25 am Business, Shopping YorkMix
Share via...

Two York business women have received the official endorsement of Dragon’s Den star Theo Paphitis at a national event.

Theo honoured Wendy Harris, owner of PQ Soy Wax Candles and Laura Clarke, owner of Where Bluebirds Fly for their impressive entrepreneurship.

He met the women at the Small Business Sunday (SBS) annual event in Birmingham, also attended by John Roberts, founder of ao.com, and Kypros Kyprianou, CEO of Ryman.

YorkMix vouchers - save 50%
YorkMix vouchers - save 50%
YorkMix vouchers - save 50%
YorkMix Vouchers #ad

During 2017 both Wendy and Laura had independently tweeted Theo about their respective businesses during Small Business Sunday.

Both were chosen as one of six weekly winners to gain a retweet by Theo to his 500,000 Twitter followers.

Best of the best

The weekly initiative, set up by Theo in 2010, supports small businesses in the UK.

Since then more than 329K businesses have entered #SBS with only 2K winners. Wendy and Laura are among the elite 0.68% to be chosen.

As a result they were invited to attend Small Business Sunday to be presented with certificates and have their photo taken with Theo.

Using their Yorkshire charm the women also managed to get a joint photo with Theo too – who dubbed them ‘York girls on tour, ready to take over the world’!

Wendy and Laura agreed that it was a complete shock when they saw their re-tweets.

Few are chosen by Theo

“It was great to have support from Theo because it’s been tough trying to raise my business profile and raise a family,” Wendy said.

Laura added: “Theo’s passion for small businesses was evident at the event which was just wonderful.”

Both are looking forward to what the next year will have in store for them.

Chairman of Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue, Theo said: “We are thrilled to welcome new #SBS members every week and highlight just how important it is to support our small businesses here in the UK.

“My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS re-tweet from me becomes part of a friendly club; like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings.”

Related YorkMix stories

Going for the Indie 200! York independent business group growing fast

16 fantastic Mother’s Day gifts your mum will love – and all from York

‘A beautiful emporium of delightfully gorgeous gifts’ – it’s York’s new curiosity shop

Footer

YorkMix
News 01904 848 766
Email YorkMix news »
5-6 King's Court, Shambles, York  YO1 7LD
YorkMix Radio
General enquiries 01904 375 029
Studio/competitions 01904 375 030
Email YorkMix Radio »
Selby Superbowl, Bawtry Road, Selby  YO8 8NA
YorkMix is a trading name of YorkMix Media Ltd
Registered in England
Company number: 07814727
VAT number: 154 0364 34
© York Sound Ltd

Copyright © 2022 YorkMix Media Ltd

We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
Cookie settingsACCEPT
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT