Trading Places Winners 2009

OVERALL TRADING PLACES WINNER 2009 AND
WINNER OF THE TRIUMPH OVER DISABILITY AWARD

Deborah Stone
Gigglebucket
Liverpool

On her sixteenth birthday, Deborah Stone (31) was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis. She was so ill that she was advised to abandon her upcoming GCSE’s and concentrate on getting better. But that only made Deborah more determined than ever to take her exams and she achieved one Grade C and eight Grade A passes. 

Deborah went on to pass her A-levels, achieved a degree in orthoptics and started working for the NHS. All through this time, Deborah continued to battle with her health.  She regularly attended hospital for IV antibiotic therapy, and also contracted meningitis. She even had her appendix removed under local anaesthetic whilst on holiday in the Dominican Republic. 

After six years working in a job she loved, Deborah’s health deteriorated significantly following the birth of her daughter and she was forced to take early retirement. Deborah was not yet 30 and felt she had been thrown on the scrapheap. Determined not to let her disability hold her back, she decided it was time to become her own boss.

Looking for an opportunity in the village where she lived, Deborah decided to start her own card and gift shop. She found a suitable unit to rent and launched Gigglebucket in December 2006.

The business was an instant success with the local community and was soon thriving.  Before long, Deborah opened a second shop. When the local Post Office closed down, the shops’ takings also began to fall but, undeterred, Deborah invested in an e-bay shop and now makes the majority of her sales online.

As well as achieving retail success, Deborah has won two Community Awards honouring her local charity work, where she supports the Butterflies Project for bereaved children and also helps out at the local school and church.

Not content with the success of her existing businesses, Deborah has also opened a successful hair salon in nearby Widnes. She is also planning to expand the card shops to offer balloons and party-ware, as well as further developing her website.

Deborah’s hard work and determination has really paid off and she has never let her illness slow her down, even continuing to organise her businesses from her hospital bed, much to the annoyance of her doctors!

Deborah considers herself extremely fortunate, and despite the fact that the current life expectancy of CF suffers is still below 40, she is determined to make the best of every day and provide as much as possible for her family.

SPIRIT OF INSPIRATION WINNER

Virginia Valentine
Angel Cakes by Virginia Valentine
Altrincham, Cheshire

Throughout her childhood and teenage years, Virginia Valentine was sexually abused. The traumatic experience left her feeling trapped and unable to trust anyone.

Virginia found escape in her schoolwork and talent for creating things. Her few happy times were spent at her grandmother’s house learning how to bake and she soon developed a genuine flair for making cakes.

Unable to confide in anyone about the abuse, and fearing the consequences if she did, Virginia buried her feelings inside and at the age of just nine, started drinking.

At 18, Virginia left home and secured a place at Sheffield Polytechnic to study for a Food Science Degree, just managing to support herself with weekend work. 

During the following years, Virginia went through the trauma of three failed marriages, six miscarriages, and by the time she reached her early thirties, she was a single mother of two young children. Spurred on to tackle her drinking problem as well as addressing the emotional issues, Virginia attended self-help groups and went into therapy.

Virginia succeeded in giving up alcohol but her road to recovery was hampered by a variety of medical problems.

She was now more determined than ever to take control of her life and turn her skill for cake-making into a business. She sold her house and, with the support of her friends, opened her shop in November 2007, specialising in traditional baking and contemporary cake design.

The business started to grow steadily and Virginia launched a mail-order website hiring out a range of novelty cake tins. She now has one full-time and three part-time staff, all of whom are trained to produce Virginia’s unique style of cake decorating. She also provides work experience for students, as well as running a series of workshops in baking and cake decorating.

SUCCESS AFTER UNEMPLOYMENT WINNER

Joe Brown
Joe Brown's Egg Round
Preston, Lancashire

Joe Brown (20) was diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome, a form of autism, at the age of three. He went to Hillside school for autistic children until he was 10, and then into a mainstream secondary school where he received one-to-one teaching support.
 
Joe’s life at secondary school was difficult and he left with just two GCSEs and the knowledge that no-one expected him to be able to hold down a job. Undeterred, Joe went to college for the next four years and achieved a BTEC Diploma in Art. He applied for several jobs but because of his communication problems, none of the interviews were successful.

It was family friend and poultry farmer, David Woollam, who first gave Joe the idea for his own business. He had visited the farm several times to help pack eggs and David suggested Joe should start selling eggs direct to householders in his local community.  David became his mentor and negotiated a deal for Joe with a free-range egg producer close to his home. 
 
With support from various organisations including The Prince’s Trust, Leonard Cheshire Disability and Jobcentre Plus, Joe spent the first six months test trading, whilst continuing to receive his incapacity benefit.
 
Joe was registered with the Shaw Trust, who suggested approaching Access to Work, run by Jobcentre Plus. They provided a support worker to assist Joe for three months with his delivery round and help him develop communication with his customers. Access to Work also funded 10 sessions with a life coach helping him to become more independent by giving him a structured daily routine.
 
The business has made a good start but Joe has found the winter months harsh, particularly during wet weather. Joe is now determined to pass his driving test and buy a delivery vehicle for next winter.
 
Joe now has 300 customers on his four weekly rounds living within a mile of his home, who make him feel like an active member of his community. Running his own business has created an income for Joe, allowing him to save up for holidays and help his mother with the housekeeping, as well as giving a huge boost to his independence, confidence and self-esteem.