POET Sally Lawson, pictured, is stitching together a lyrical business capturing personal sentiments for all occasions.

The 55-year-old, from Sunderland, has worked as a seamstress for the same company for 18 years, and has been writing poetry since she was a teenager.

With a wealth of writing experience, Mrs Lawson has turned her attention to a new work pattern and set up her own business, Sally Slapcabbage.

Requests so far have ranged from the heartwarming to the downright unusual.

She said: "I have had a range of requests already, from a great-grandmother who wanted to send a poem to her newly-born great-grandchild in Austrialia, to a lady who wanted a poem at her wedding to thank her husband for her breast enlargement to fit into her wedding dress."

Her ambition to run her own company became a reality after she completed the National Entrepreneur Scholarship (NES) programme, a nationwide scheme held at the University of Sunderland and the North East Business and Innovation Centre.

She said: "I have been writing poetry for friends and family for years and have also been published in anthologies, but have always wanted to use my talent to independently run my own business.

"The NES programme was ideal for me because I needed practical business knowledge and it gave me the opportunity to overcome these obstacles by making learning both manageable and enjoyable."