Thank you Trinny and Susannah!

Sue Bellamy, Shibden WI, West Yorkshire

Another member who decided it was time to start up her own business is Sue Bellamy. In her case, inspiration came from those TV ladies we love to hate, Trinny Woodall and Susannah Constantine.

“I was a senior qualified occupational therapist and had spent 30 years working for various local social service departments and Health Service trusts. Last year I came into an inheritance and I decided to invest this in starting my own business. Thanks to Trinny and Susannah I had already changed my image – losing two and a half stone, changing my hair colour and style, and buying a whole new wardrobe of younger and smaller clothes.

“I then set about opening Brief Encounter, my ladies’ lingerie shop in Brighouse, West Yorkshire. I have been trading for six months and business so far is good. I am extending my ranges to incorporate mastectomy wear and by the time Woman’s World comes out I will have completed my mastectomy fitting training (I did the basic fitting training before opening). “My aims for this year are to get the mastectomy service up and running, get VAT registered and lose another stone – all before Christmas when I turn 50!”
Brief Encounter, tel: 01484 723545.

Fancy a change?

Perhaps music, art, gardening or writing have been your spare-time passion and you have long wondered if you could change career path to capitalise on something you enjoy. As we have highlighted before in Woman’s World, there are WI members who have taken up new directions, even careers, as a result of a course at Denman College. For a college brochure, tel: 01865 391991 or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

In 1994 the Women’s Farm and Garden Association set up its successful Women Returners to Amenity Gardening Scheme (WRAGS) providing practical training that enables its graduates to take up careers as gardeners. Membership is open to all those connected in any way with the land, in agriculture or allied industries. Women’s Farm and Garden Association, 175 Gloucester Street, Cirencester, Gloucestershire, GL7 2DP, UK SP 1900 2600 (South West), tel:01285 658339.

For help in deciding what skills you have and where they could best be put to use, visit www.women-returners.co.uk. There is an online CV-builder and information about getting into engineering and allied jobs.

For hints and tips on returning to work after a career break, visit www.handbag.com/careers/careerprogression/returning/

According to a City & Guilds survey, as many as one in three disgruntled employees are planning on changing careers, with one in five yearning to get their hands dirty in a more practical or outdoor job. Buy a copy of their Time to Learn winter directory online (www.timetolearn.org.uk) or from City & Guilds tel: 020 7294 2850 (price £6.95 + £1.50 p+p).