YOUNG Beanie collector Michelle Bosomworth has turned her hobby of collecting cuddly bears into a booming business thanks to help from local enterprise agency Tyneside Economic Development Company (Tedco).

The 20-year-old from Hebburn, South Tyneside, got her first bear - a Ty Beanie Baby - two years ago and built up a collection of nearly 500 furry animals.

Earlier this year, frustrated at not being able to put her grade A A-levels in IT and Business Studies to use in the workplace, she decided to pitch her hobby and skills together and set up Allsorts Bazaar - a company trading in collectable bears.

The company's website attracted 400 hits on the first day of trading alone without any pre-publicity, and already has loyal customers as far afield as the US, Israel and Thailand.

Michelle said: "I was stuck in a bit of a rut with jobs after my A-levels, having all the right grades but no experience.

"Having built up my collection I realised there was a big market in the UK for Ty Beanie Babies, having myself had to pay huge mark-up prices from distributors in this country."

She said: "About 1,000 different Ty Beanie Baby models have been made, but because the company "retires" certain models - which means they can no longer be bought from stores - they instantly become collectables.

"I set up Allsorts Bazaar to trade in the rare and collectable models. I buy the stock new from the US, which cuts out the UK distributors' mark-ups, and I then sell them direct to the public.

"Tedco has been really helpful in pointing me in the right direction and letting me know what the next steps to setting up my own business were."