The co-owner of a Collier Row business which was invited to a networking event organised by a former TV Dragon has spoken of his pride to be “flying the flag for Romford”. 

On The Rails, run by Ian Jarrett and his partner, produces and sells a range of products, such as socks and pillows, all of which are adorned in drawings of various trains, buses and other transport methods. 

“We have been doing this for a while,” Ian told the Recorder. “I do all the drawings, and I started drawing these trains and buses and things a couple of years ago.”

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Ian said it was his partner who pushed him to begin putting his drawings onto fabrics, and that it was during Covid that the business started to really take off. 

“It’s been growing since then, and I have been trying to get Theo’s support for a while, and in August I finally got it.” 

The Theo in question is Theo Paphitis, ex-Dragons' Den star and chairman of the Theo Paphitis Retail Group, an umbrella organisation which comprises more than 300 stores and 4,000 employees. 

His Small Business Sunday network features more than 3,700 active members, enabling people across the country to connect and access support for their initiatives. 

Every Sunday, Mr Paphitis invites six new small businesses who have contacted him via Twitter into the network. It was through this method that, one Sunday last August, Ian was able to catch his eye. 

Despite gaining recognition seven months ago, it was not until February 24 that Ian and his business was able to attend a Small Business Sunday event in Birmingham.  

Treated to a host of talks and presentations from companies including NatWest and Google, plus the chance to speak with other entrepreneurs, Ian said it was “great to be celebrated and to meet lots of other small businesses". 

“It is fantastic that Theo has recognised the hard work and dedication that we put in to produce beautiful products for transport enthusiasts.” 

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Not only that, Ian said he was also able to get some time with Mr Paphitis himself. Sensing an opportunity, Ian even gifted him a present – a pair of socks decorated with drawings of London buses. 

Reflecting on the day, Ian said he felt proud to be representing a Havering business at the coveted event. 

As he put it: “We were flying the flag for Romford.”