A budding entrepreneur is tapping into the global market for crafts with the support of a TV Dragon. Rachel Meek reports.

WHEN Vicky Lloyd watched Blue Peter as a child, she was too young to appreciate the irony of what fate had in store. Now running her own successful crafts company, her motivation lies in persuading young people to switch off the television and pick up a craft.

The hands-on approach is also designed to provide an alternative to the computer. But in another twist of fate, the internet is helping her build her business after putting her in touch, by tweet, with an entrepreneurial Dragon.

“I couldn’t believe it when Theo Paphitis chose me,” says Vicky, of Darlington. “I was over the moon and delighted to get his approval of my business. It encouraged me even more to drive the products further.”

The television star of Dragon’s Den runs the Small Business Sunday Club on Twitter. Each week, businesses around the UK are invited to send him a promotional tweet. Theo reads them and chooses his six favourite entries, which receive a retweet seen by his 144,000 followers, exposing the businesses to thousands of potential customers.

So Vicky’s decision to give up a day job in engineering to pursue her passion for crafts is paying off as she carves her niche in a global industry worth billions of pounds.

Her business grew from an idea which hit her when she was looking for activities for her own children, Ellie, who is nine years old and Dylan, who is six. “I soon discovered there was a gap in the market. I was also looking for more flexibility in my life where I could work around my family, so decided to take the plunge and NE Day Crafts was born.”

Since 2009, NE Day Crafts has been at the heart of many regional events, including fairs and festivals, and is now supporting schools in Teesside in the creative arts.

“I was brought up in the era of Blue Peter and was always making things,” Vicky recalls. “I guess this is a modern-day version of that. Children start using computers so young these days and I wanted to offer an alternative where they could tackle something traditional, colourful and fun.”

NE Day Crafts now produces hundreds of packs and kits containing the bits, bobs and goggle eyes needed to bring a tactile character to life.

Popular kits include mask-making sets, banners, wrapping paper, animals, jewellery, Christmas crackers and collage. It has already sold more than 2,000 kits and currently has 60 designs.

Simple, nostalgic and affordable, the idea struck a chord recently with the judges of the Entrepreneurs’ Forum’s If We Can, You Can campaign and the Striding Out Future 100 Young Entrepreneurs Award.

It’s all a far cry from what Vicky used to do, working in the male-dominated world of engineering. “I wouldn’t go back to my old life,” she says. “The best thing for me is seeing the children’s smiles on their faces admiring what they have created; it’s the best part of the job.”

The kits are proving so popular that NE Day Crafts is offering subscriptions, allowing a new kit to be delivered every month to customers’ homes.

Nicola Burt, of Darlington, is a big fan. “I think it’s a great idea. It stops kids from just sitting in front of the TV and really gets their creative juices flowing. We had a craft birthday party for my daughter which was a huge success.”

Daughter Chloe, eight, loves the craft kits. “I like them because they are fun. It’s great to create something that I can show everyone.”

Vicky is also keen to support charities in the region and has recently been involved in the making of a calendar for the services organisation Help for Heroes and the Blue Lamp Foundation.

“I am keen to get involved with the community and to give something back, so the more people know about the enjoyment of crafts the better,” she says.

• nedaycrafts.co.uk