YORKSHIRE lass Susie Cullen has made a clean sweep in a top business awards scheme - through finding a unique solution to a dirty problem.

Mrs Cullen, who was born in Northallerton, has triumphed in the national awards challenge, thanks to her children's outdoor clothing company.

Now living on a farm near Bigbury in South Devon, she beat hundreds of other entrants to win the 2004 Natwest Everywoman Athena award.

And she is the first to admit she has the best of both worlds.

As a young student in North Yorkshire, she dreamed of becoming a farmer. Marriage to John Cullen made her a farmer's wife and her own ingenuity has seen her become a successful businesswoman.

She has come long way since she arrived in Devon from Yorkshire with a horse with foal at foot; a cow she had been given as a 21st birthday gift; and a sheepdog puppy.

Now 38, Mrs Cullen set up Muddy Puddles almost ten years ago when she could not find clothes to keep her young children clean and dry in the wettest and muddiest conditions on the family farm.

On receiving the award she said: "I am so proud as it recognises the small part Muddy Puddles has played in rural regeneration in my area and the personal obstacles overcome in building an increasingly successful business.

"It means a great deal to me, and to the people who work with me, not least my husband, John."

Mrs Cullen discovered materials that were hard-wearing and machine washable and, in lieu of patterns, simply laid her children on the floor and drew round them.

Her designs are described as comfortable, fun and easy to wear, incorporating long backs on jackets for keeping bottoms dry and elasticised hems for a snug fit over wellies, as well as all-in-ones.

Friends were so impressed that she started making clothes for their children as well and, since then, the business has expanded apace. There are now more than 90 retail outlets for the clothes and a successful mail order service and web site.

The business took a giant leap forward as a result of the foot-and-mouth crisis in 2001, when it became clear that the long-term future of the family was more likely to be assured by Muddy Puddles than by the cattle, sheep and arable farm.

However, John Cullen continues to run agricultural enterprises from the farm but has also joined his wife's team as IT and sales manager.

With sales soaring by 150pc last year over the year before, Muddy Puddles continues to advance.

Mrs Cullen still designs the clothes and has just launched two new lines of 100pc waterproof jackets, trousers and dungarees, in this season's hottest pink for girls, and camouflage for boys. Both new lines are flying off the shelves and will be shown for the first time at the Premier Kids Exhibition in Birmingham's NEC at the end of this month.

Mrs Cullen was a pupil at Barton Primary and Richmond School and, at first, her aim was to become a demonstration chef and she did A-levels in cookery.

A stay on a friend's farm changed all that. "I came back and told my mother I wanted to be farmer," she said. "She was horrified as there is no history of farming in the family." But she persevered and went to Bedale agricultural college as a YTS student, where she met her husband.

"I moved down to his farm in Devon and so I suppose I became a farmer by default," said Mrs Cullen.

After 15 years in Devon, Mrs Cullen, whose parents Alan and Christine Flowers still live in Barton, finds life in the south much milder. "You don't need your thermals," she said, "but the people in general are not as friendly as those in Yorkshire."

She always felt her business would take off. "Sometimes it has been a struggle to keep up with demand," she said. "As farmers we have to diversify and we hit on something unique. I have also learned such a lot from starting the business. It is fantastic. I go all over the world on manufacturing and still do the designing."

Deep down, though, she still wants to be a farmer's wife. "I want to be baking and such," said Mrs Cullen. "And, despite everything, Yorkshire is still my home and always will be."

Call Muddy Puddles on 0870 420 4950 for the latest catalogue of hard-wearing outdoor clothes for children or visit muddypuddles.com.