Quick-thinking Maria Allen proved to be on the ball when it came to  spotting an opportunity.

The 24-year old read about a bet made between Prime Minister David Cameron and his New Zealand counterpart John Key over the recent

England and All Blacks rugby match.

Mr Cameron had agreed to wear a pair of New Zealand cufflinks at his next Prime Minister’s Questions session and make a donation to charity if England lost.

Mr Key had agreed to do the same, wearing a Union Jack set of cufflinks, if England won.

When England subsequently lost, it meant Mr Cameron had to honour his side of the bet.

Ms Allen, who runs her own handmade jewellery and gift business in Hove, quickly got her team together to make a pair of Kiwi cufflinks.

They were crafted from reclaimed wood from a copper beech tree on Churchill’s Chartwell estate. The sterling silver cufflink settings were also made in
the UK.

Ms Allen, who started Maria Allen Boutique while studying at the University of Brighton, also created a pair of Union Jack cufflinks for Mr Cameron to send to New Zealand the next time England beat the All Blacks.

She said: “I wasn’t sure whether anything would come of it but I thought it was worth a go.

“I watched Prime Minister’s Questions and kept freezing the frame to try to see but it was difficult to see properly.”

However later that evening Mr Cameron tweeted a picture of Miss Allen’s cufflinks which he had worn earlier that day.

The Tweet said: “Wore Kiwi cufflinks today (donated by Start Up Loan ambassador Maria Allen) after losing my bet with @johnkeypm...”

Mr Cameron also made a donation to the Christchurch Earthquake Appeal.

Ms Allen said: “It was absolutely fantastic.
 

“I was so pleased. “It’s not just a boost for me but also shows the PM sup- porting a small local business as well.

“It shows what can happen when you see an opportunity and just go for it.”

People can now order the specially made cufflinks, and Ms Allen is hoping for a few orders from New Zealand as well.

Ms Allen’s business turned over more than £100,000 while she was still studying and has grown year on year since she graduated in 2011, attracting buyers from across the UK and abroad.
 

She is now an ambassador for the Government’s Start Up Loan scheme and recently visited No.10 at an Enterprise Nation event to help brief enterprise ministers about the needs of UK based craft businesses.

For more details visit www.mariaallenboutique.com