Increasing numbers of people throughout Somerset are finding that they can make money from what they enjoy doing most – by turning a hobby into a source of income.

And, according to Dave Cornish of Connecting Somerset, “Many of these people are creative and share an imaginative approach to reaching customers – and increasingly Broadband technology is proving the most cost-effective and easiest way of doing so.”

One such ‘lifestyle entrepreneur’ is Glastonbury’s Lynne Newton. When she and her family lived in South London, she little imagined that the old vixen she saved from illness in her urban garden would some years later become the inspiration behind the business she now runs from her new Somerset home.

But ‘Foxy Biddy’, as she called the fox that became her friend, is now the name of the website (www.foxybiddy.com) from which Lynne sells her hand-made greetings cards and original photographs of wildlife and the countryside.

“There’s no way I can leave the day job, but I get a lot of pleasure from selling my work, both through local shops and on the web,” she says. In fact, when her website went live in August this year, her first e-commerce order was from California for 100 hand-made Christmas cards. “I’ve just spoken to the customer, and he sounds very happy with them,” she says. “He asked me to make sure I let him know if I ever change my contact details.”

Without the website, Lynne would never have been able to tap into a North American export market. And while she doesn’t yet know how much business to expect from it, she’s already covered all her set-up costs and more. “Most important, it’s great fun,” she says. “I’ve got more time for my hobby these days, and now I’m also able to pay for it as I go.”

Lynne found out about Connecting Somerset, which helps the county’s businesses set up their own websites and embrace Broadband technology, from a contact at Somerset Tourism. “They are using some of my pictures to help promote the county and thought I’d find Connecting Somerset useful. They were right – I received grant support and information on three local web designers who could put it together for me. I chose Sitemakers in Curry Rivel near Taunton, who’ve done a really good job.”

Claire Rockett has recently launched her own business from her home in Taunton, where she designs and makes jewellery. “It’s something I’ve always loved to do, and now it’s quickly becoming more than just a hobby.”

Like Lynne, Claire still needs a day job – but she’s hopeful that Rocket Jewellery will one day provide all the income she needs. Currently she sells through trade fairs and other outlets, but she knows how important the Internet will be to her business. “I’m planning the launch of a website, with the help of Connecting Somerset, in January,” she says. “Once it’s up-and-running, I expect it to be my main route to customers.”

According Dave Cornish, “It’s amazing how many hobbies can be turned to profit, and Somerset’s stuffed with craftspeople, photographers, artists, writers and more who are turning to the web. It’s wonderful to see how the most modern technology is helping traditional arts and crafts flourish in the modern world.”

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Note to Editor
Connecting Somerset is funded by Somerset County Council, the South West of England Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), Mendip, Sedgemoor, Taunton Deane and West Somerset Councils, South Somerset Together, the European Social Fund and Business Link Somerset.

For further information, please contact :
David Wilford tel 01373 303004 mob 07790 774284
or Ron Dyson tel 01308 485707