An Evesham businesswoman was given a social media boost from a Dragons Den star.

Textile artist Louise Hancox met with Theo Paphitis last week as the retail entrepreneur hosted a conference at the ICC in Birmingham to celebrate independent businesses.

It comes after Mr Paphitis retweeted a post from Ms Hancox as part of his Small Business Sunday (SBS) initiative.

Set up in 2010, over 3,000 SBS winners have been handed a twitter boost thanks to Mr Paphitis sharing their business with his 500,000 followers.

Ms Hancox said: “Being invited to the conference was a really exciting prospect and having the opportunity to meet lots of other winning businesses was fantastic.

“In the afternoon, we were treated to an inspiring fireside chat between Theo Paphitis and his fellow TV Dragon, Touker Suleyman.

“Touker spoke to Theo about his start in business, his journey, including the successes and challenges he faced and generously answered questions from the floor, giving lots of encouraging advice.”

She added: “At the end of the day, new winners were invited to meet Theo Paphitis and to receive their certificate award from him personally.

“I feel so privileged to be recognised as one of his #SBS winners and I was delighted to have the opportunity to thank him in person for all that he does to champion small business.

“I would encourage anyone with a small business to Tweet @TheoPaphitis on a Sunday evening. The #SBS community is a brilliant network of entrepreneurs, with friendly advice and support for small business.”

Louise Hancox Textile Artist was launched in October 2019 and she conducts all her work from her home studio at the Malt House in Church Lench.

Now, the business has been profiled on the #SBS website, www.theopaphitissbs.com.

Mr Paphitis, 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.

“The website will also give a valuable profile to the winners chosen and I wish Louise Hancox Textile Artist every success.”