AN ILKLEY entrepreneur is celebrating receiving an award from one of the ‘dragons’ of the business world.

Sarah Turner uses pure British wool to make a range of laundry care products and ‘natural bathroom treats’ under her Little Beau Sheep brand.

Since starting the business in 2011 - after finding that lanolin offered the best natural treatment for her baby’s dry skin - it has grown to now offer a variety of eco-friendly products. The range includes everything from sheep-head decorated wool tumble dryer balls to laundry fragrances and linen sprays.

Little Beau Sheep has now caught the eye of former Dragons' Den panel member Theo Paphitis through his Small Business Sunday venture, which champions smaller-scale entrepreneurs across the country.

The Ilkley business was chosen as a winner of the tycoon’s Small Business Sunday #SBS social competition - which meant Sarah recently travelled to meet him and receive her award at a networking event in Birmingham.

She said: “I was absolutely delighted to be chosen by Theo as part of his #SBS competition. Attending the event was so inspiring. It was amazing to meet Theo and to be presented with this award, as well as to meet all of the other small business owners.

“People often don’t realise the amount of work that small businesses put in. Being self-employed doesn’t mean you have more free time and I often find myself working weekends, so it’s great to see initiatives like Small Business Sunday which recognise the dedication and commitment of owners like myself, and encourage us to come together.”

Mr Paphitis said: “I admire people who have passion and energy. I was struck by the number of business owners on Twitter who wanted to tell me about their new products and services.

“Small Business Sunday was born so that people have a specific time slot to tweet and can pitch their ‘sell’ directly to me. My vision is that everyone who has won #SBS becomes part of a friendly club. Like-minded individuals can share successes and learnings.

“I know I have been lucky in business and am keen now to spread goodwill to others.”

Little Beau Sheep has been shortlisted in the Micro Business category of the Ilkley Business Awards 2019.