Patricia Clifford - Artist & Sculptor

"I got fed up with teaching full time” she explained. "I had no time for painting and so I was thinking of going part time. One day I walked into the market, and there were the Taste of Enterprise team. They explained what was going on and said ‘come along and put some of your work on display'.”"I thought I really want to try it. There was no risk and I didn't have to give up my job up just yet”. So Patricia did just that, and after a period of test trading decided it was time to take the next step, going part time and combining painting with her teaching. Her connections with Taste of Enterprise continued when she became involved in helping other test traders.

"I arranged with Taste to mentor some of the new test traders and to organise exhibitions for them as a confidence building exercise” she says.

It was then that she met Adele and they decided to form a business together, but it was a business that wouldn't have happened without the help of TOE.

The help extended beyond the normal business advice as well. When Patricia had an unpaid bill, TOE staff helped her recover the money and "When we started they loaned us some shelves and things so we could start without any financial outlay. It's little things, like that that helped” she says.

"They're always willing to give you advice. They won't spoon feed you but if you need it they're there. They've done nothing but be of help to us. It's kind of security. If you've got a problem, they can't fix, they will give you advice on the right contacts. They've got all kinds of contacts.”