A DARLINGTON woman, who turned her hobby into a successful business, has struck gold with her first North-East awards entry, and is now on the way to the national finals.

Tracy Ridley, who started Created by the Ridleys with her mother-in-law, Sylvia, in 2016, won North-East Self Employed/Sole Trader of the Year at the Federation of Small Businesses awards, held in Newcastle.

Speaking after the ceremony, Tracy said: “I’d never entered any awards before, but I’m very proud of how far I have come with my business and I wanted to celebrate that. I was so nervous before my category came up, and I was amazed and delighted to hear my name called out.”

Tracy started sewing in her spare time to combat the stress of her job, and she and Sylvia sold the things they made at local arts and crafts fairs.

“Sylvia is a fabulous knitter, so she made lots of baby clothes, and I was making things like place mats, candles, and handbags. We didn’t do very well at first, but we always enjoyed the day out, so we kept going.”

The turning point came when Tracy began incorporating Harris Tweed into her designs, and while exhibiting at the British Craft Trade Fair, took a big order from a shop in the Outer Hebrides.

She soon started selling direct to trade, and has since opened her own shop at 22 Whessoe Road, Darlington.

The FSB finals will be held in Glasgow on May 19.