Buckingham Palace date for local entrepreneur

Burton-based Ask the Chameleon director Rachel Hayward has been invited to the Queen’s garden party at Buckingham Palace.

Hayward has been invited to the afternoon event on Wednesday May 15 following a nomination by the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy.

The invitation says that she is being recognised for her work to secure nearly £4m of funding and tenders for businesses, charities and the public sector; her work as associate lecturer at the University of Derby Business School and for being part of the Small Biz 100 – the national element of the Small Business Saturday campaign.

Hayward set up Ask the Chameleon four years ago – working with businesses of all sizes from entrepreneurs to larger companies as well as charities and public sector organisations to develop bids, tenders, grant and award applications.

She used her Small Biz 100 day in November to challenge fellow smaller businesses to recognise their worth through an online podcast of local entrepreneurs.

Hayward said: “I am incredibly honoured to be invited to attend the Garden Party at Buckingham Palace and meeting other people from across the country at this very special event.

The Garden Party caps off an incredible few months for my business including a regional FSB Award and being part of a very successful fundraising campaign for my chosen charity Annabel’s Angels.”