THE importance of supporting small businesses was driven home, when entrepreneurs across Wrexham were spotlighted by the national Small Business Saturday roadshow.

With an aim to support small businesses facing persistent economic challenges, The Tour visited the city to support and celebrate the area's local firms.

The team visited several small businesses in the North Wales area, learning more about the city's entrepreneurs and their ambitions for 2024. This included meeting event officer Morgan Thomas and marketing officer Gareth Thomas, who help run community space Tŷ Pawb.

The Tour is travelling across the UK for a month as part of the official countdown to Small Business Saturday. Taking place on the first Saturday of December each year, the campaign celebrates small business success, encouraging consumers to 'shop local' and to support businesses in their communities.

Amjid and Robina Hussain from Curry On The Go.

Amjid and Robina Hussain from Curry On The Go.

Other visits on the day included Curry On The Go, and Coffee On The Go Wrexham, run by husband and wife duo Amjid and Robina Hussain. And there was a flurry of activity on social media, where interviews with local leaders including Liam Stokes-Massey, founder of the Pencilcraftsman, and Simon Morris, founder of The Personal Present People, were live streamed.

Liam said: "It was brilliant to chat with the Small Business Saturday team at Ty Pawb, Wrexham today. The work they do is so helpful in the current climate where a spotlight shone could make a huge difference to a business. Wrexham has a lot to offer."

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Once again supported by BT Skills for Tomorrow, The Tour is visiting 23 towns and cities across the UK during November. It will finish off in London ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 2.

The Tour will make use of electric vehicles to reduce emissions and reflect the sustainable switches many small business owners are making as part of their vital role in the race to net zero. This will include touring with a state-of-the-art eco-friendly electric bike - the Electro Ride X - from innovative London electric motorbike company, Stirling Eco. 

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Michelle Ovens CBE, director of Small Business Saturday, said: "We're so glad we could visit Wrexham and celebrate all the fantastic businesses in the area. I'm so inspired for the year ahead after chatting to so many entrepreneurs, and very happy that we got to shine a light on their successes.

"Small business owners make up such an important part of the UK economy and their local community here in North Wales, so it's great to celebrate them with the Small Business Saturday campaign."

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Many entrepreneurs from across the region also joined business mentoring and workshops, as part of an online training and skills support programme, which is being offered free by the Small Business Saturday campaign throughout November.

Chris Sims, Managing Director Small and Medium Enterprise at BT, said: "Small Business Saturday is a fantastic initiative that empowers entrepreneurs to tackle the biggest challenges they are facing today. This year small businesses can access specialist mentoring and support, giving them tailored guidance on issues ranging from effective marketing to cyber security."

"As the tour enters its second decade, we are proud to be partnering with Small Business Saturday on this initiative again through our Skills for Tomorrow program, which has helped over one million entrepreneurs grow their small businesses with free digital skills training."