"When I thought I couldn't go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck." - Estee Lauder

At the end of last year, I was celebrating my wedding anniversary and looking back over 5 years of wonderful life with a man I loved. Just weeks later my world was blown apart and I found myself facing a scary future as a single mum. Looking back now, I don’t think I have any real recollection of the first quarter of this year. Most of it was lived through a haze, a basic survival instinct and nothing more. My only reason for getting up each day was Toddler Tyke. Despite what was going on in our lives, he still needed his mummy, still needed to be fed, dressed, nappy changed etc.


As we head towards winter and the end of 2011, I keep reflecting upon this year and how it has changed me. When things were tough, everyone kept telling me I was tougher, a strong person who could get through this. It is only when you really need it do you actually realise how strong you can be. Your inner strength comes from somewhere, deeply hidden and takes over to carry you through.

Tykes Tights took a major battering at the start of the year. Like I said, I could barely function let alone work on a new business, devoting the time and energy it needed to send it into it’s first spring and summer. I spent a lot of time wondering how other people do it, how do other’s cope?

I read about Rebecca Taylor, who at 23 was a single mum sleeping on her Grandmother’s sofa. With a lot of determination and hard work, she turned her life around and is now owner of The Original Lash and Nail bar in the North of England with an average annual turnover of £200,000.

You may have heard of Sharon Wright, inventor of magnamole, a magnetic cable device to help put cables through walls. Another single mum who worked hard to achieve her dream. She is now an award winning inventor with a hugely successful business and has published books.

And of course, there can’t be anyone who hasn’t heard of Kirsty Henshaw of Dragon’s Den fame. Single mum who created a dairy and nut free desert for her young son. Since then, she has developed a range of products available on the supermarket shelves and Worthenshaws Freedom is set to become a huge name.

And that’s when I realised. Troubled times are sent to put us down or ruin our plans, they are sent to give us determination, to build our characters and help us to find the motivation we need to move on to a brighter future. So here I am, Winter season 2011 building a brighter future for me and my boy 