The co-founders of Bristol-based online photography store Le Shop are among a select group of small business owners attending a special event at 10 Downing Street today.
Virginia Allwood and Dan Martin were invited as part of celebrations for tomorrow’s Small Business Saturday, which is encouraging the public to support independent firms.
The couple set up the business selling exclusive fine art photography prints of beautiful places around Britain in July. They received the invitation to 10 Downing Street after being one of 100 small firms profiled in the lead up to tomorrow.
A bus that has been touring the UK to promote Small Business Saturday will also make its final stop at Downing Street.
Before heading to London Ms Allwood said: “Attending such a prestigious event so soon after launching our business is an absolute joy. Entrepreneurs need all the help they can get in the early days so Small Business Saturday is a brilliant initiative.
“We don’t yet know whether David Cameron will be at the party but if he is, we will head straight over to give him tips about what photography he should be hanging on the walls of Number 10!”
A photograph taken by Ms Allwood was recently selected from almost 1,000 images submitted in the 24 Hours in Bristol competition to appear on the front cover of the official 2014 visitor guide to the city.
The photographs LeShopUK.com sells are taken for the UK travel, food and culture blog LifestyleDistrict.co.uk which Ms Allwood and Mr Martin also run. The images can be used on prints, mugs, t-shirts, magnets and aprons.
Le Shop's name is derived from the nationalities of the two founders. Ms Allwood, who has 10 years’ experience in the advertising industry, is French and Mr Martin, a business journalist for the past 12 years, is British.
