An award-winning young entrepreneur said he was “honoured” to be invited to 10 Downing Street to talk about the importance of small businesses.

TV star Ben Towers, 18, from Gillingham, was among representatives from 100 firms invited by the Prime Minister to attend celebrations to mark Small Business Saturday.

Mr Towers, who became a mentor on CBBC show Pocket Money Pitch after setting up his web design agency, now based in Maidstone, aged 11, said he had been a strong supporter of the event since its inception in 2013.

Shoppers were encouraged to spend their cash with independent companies on Saturday, December 3.

Mr Towers, who met Small Business Minster Margot James at the reception, said: “Spending the day at number 10 was an unforgettable experience and I was proud to see so many other business owners like myself supporting this initiative.

“The campaign does a great job of highlighting the importance of small businesses and of the enormous contribution they make to the national economy.

“This initiative works to encourage the success of businesses like mine, and might just inspire more people to start running their own small business.

"I believe this is fundamental to encouraging the next generation of entrepreneurs.”

Prime Minister Theresa May said: “Small Business Saturday is an opportunity for us to celebrate the success of the UK’s 5.4 million small businesses - from family run restaurants, to innovative tech start-ups, to local corner shops.

I’m delighted that we had such a great representation of firms here in Downing Street to mark this event and recognise the prosperity they bring to the UK.”