Entrepreneur Barbara Jones will come face to face with Virgin boss, Sir Richard Branson, after reaching the finals of the Pitch to Rich competition.

Run by Virgin Media Pioneers, the competition is seeking the UK’s best start-ups and, after reaching the finals, the Bradford-educated entrepreneur will get the chance to pitch her idea to Sir Richard on Thursday and be in with the chance of winning a £5,000 prize package.

She runs Straw Works, a straw bale building company in Todmorden and is pitching to build cabins suitable for gardens which could be used as extra bedrooms, offices or studios.

She has already received support for her idea after attracting 40 per cent of the public vote in the competition.

She said: “I am so excited. I just feel like it is the right thing for us. We can build with natural materials, we don’t have to use un-natural ones, and everybody can do it.”