This weekend marks the fifth anniversary of Small Business Saturday, a day that shines a spotlight on all the amazing small and independent businesses across the country in this busy Christmas shopping period.

To celebrate, Billie Piper, a passionate supporter of small businesses, decided to step off the Londonstage and don an apron to help out in her favourite local showp in North London – The Cake House.

While at The Cake House, Piper alongside the café owner, Lorenzo, helped out, baking and icing cakes to encourage everyone to get out there and support Small Business Saturday. Lorenzo has owned the café for over 15 years making it an integral part of the community in which Piper and many others live.

“I‘ve been coming to The Cake House – daily! – since I moved to the area. I live locally and absolutely love the relationships with people in what feels like a village. I want my kids to know people in the community and be able to come into The Cake House and ask for their ridiculous desert requests! I come to The Cake House all the time and Lorenzo has managed to get my daily coffee order down from three shots to two which, in fairness, took quite some doing.“ – Billie Piper

Small Business Saturday sees thousands of small businesses all over the country take part every year since its inception. According to research undertaken by American Express, founder and principal supporter of Small Business Saturday, last year a total of over £717 million pounds was spent by shoppers on this particular day.

“I was delighted when Amex asked me to help support this year‘s Small Business Saturday. They actually read about me talking about local businesses that I‘m passionate about in my local press and decided to contact me to get involved. Independent retailers across the UK offer so much more to a community than just a shop – and that is something I really care about.“ – Billie Piper