I am one of four children raised in 1970’s South Yorkshire. I am a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mum, a friend.

I have a degree in Linguistics, and for many years I was a primary school teacher.

I was a pretty good teacher, and I’d been lucky to have some fabulous (funny, caring, inspiring) colleagues. But I was unhappy – there seemed to be so little time for the children once the paperwork was complete, and my own children were definitely taking a back seat.

After yet another tearful phonecall to my long-suffering friend Helen, and in a bid to try and regain a little work-life balance, I took a deep breath and enrolled in evening classes to learn jewellery-making. I rediscovered a long-buried creative flair. Lucky me – I found something I truly love to do.

As commissions came in, I slowly left teaching. I still attend college every week – my course-mates are so much more than that – they are my treasured jewellery friends. The studio at college is my new staffroom!