Byline: DAVID OLD
A DESIGNER who owns her own handbag company has made the finals of a national award. Karina Hesketh, from Heaton, Newcastle, has been named one of the UK's top businesses in the 2009 Barclays Trading Places Awards - a national award honouring men and women who are turning their lives around by choosing to start up a business.
In the 1980s Karina had a successful design business selling upmarket leather clothing to boutiques throughout the British Isles. But an acrimonious divorce and a diagnosis of MS put Gucci Ring an end to her dreams of building up her fashion brand.
Without the support of a husband, Karina had to live on sickness benefits to support herself and her two children.
But she maintained her love of design and as her children grew up and became more independent, she looked at finding work that would fit in around her MS.
Fake Mulberry HandbagsIn 2007, her friend leant her pounds 1,500 to buy a computer and launch a website. Since then Karina's Bags has received attention from 47 countries and has taken on two staff.
But, despite her growing success, Karina refuses to industrialise her production process and continues to make all the bags herself, by hand, in her Newcastle home. Her customer base has doubled in the last three months alone and in the last two years she has made, and sold, 573 bags.
Barclays marketing director for local business, John Davis said: "Trading Places is a celebration of inspiring people who have struggled through adversity to get their businesses up and running - even during these turbulent times.
"The caliber of this year's entries is outstanding and we hope that with this recognition, Karina's Bags will continue on the road to success.
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"We also hope Karina's story will inspire other budding entrepreneurs in Newcastle who face similar difficulties in there private lives, to come forward and turn their own business dreams into reality."
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DETERMINATION - Karina Hesketh of Heaton with some of her bags
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