42 | Living | January 2020 January 2020 | Living | 43

Hilary Porter discovers how a Hampshire ex-Navy officer turned a crafting hobby into new business ...

CRAFTY CAREER MOVE

For more than two decades she was an air traffic controller in the Royal Navy. But now Susan Bonnar from Lee-on-the-Solent in Hampshire has taken a leap of faith and

turned her 15-year-long hobby into a business. Susan recently launched “The British Craft

House” – a website that only sells unique British crafts helping to support hundreds of local, regional and national small, hand-made, creative crafting businesses around the country. What’s more, her enterprising new venture has already been acknowledged by Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Theo Paphitis.

Even though Susan spent nearly 15 years crafting cards and bespoke albums herself, she only decided to turn her hobby into a business six months ago.

Crafters Network” made up of crafters from Hampshire who meet monthly discussing business and creative ideas and has since inspired similar set-ups across the UK.

“The British Craft House is all about making a difference for people. Both for crafters selling their passion, blood, sweat and tears, but also for people looking to buy something different. There is so much more value in buying something uniquely hand-made that you know is more sustainable and supports someone’s dream,” she said.

The British Craft House website is the only one nationally that will offer curated, British, hand-made products, making it stand out from competitors.

Susan has involved hundreds of people in designing the site, which has been built by local web agency Morph PR and Marketing Ltd. from Southsea. It had only been up and running for a week when it listed 170 independent businesses and more than 3,000 products.

“The British Craft House business idea was born on a marathon preparation run back in February. I’ve always been passionate about bringing together the crafting community, which essentially is small businesses so often working in isolation.

“After nearly six years of helping people online through social media, I got the idea for a new site that was different and could support businesses in a much better way than what’s already out there. Within five months I’ve launched a completely new business in total contrast to my Navy career,” she said.

Susan, who spent more than 22 years in the Navy, started making her own cards in 2005. She was at home with her small children while her husband, also a Navy officer, was at sea, often on long deployments

and she wanted to create something she could post to him every day.

“I never considered crafting could be my full-time job, but card and album sales took off in shops and online and by the time I had my third baby I decided to leave the Navy. My passion became helping others and bringing together people who spend hours crafting something unique and help them drive it into a business. The British Craft House site gives them that platform. I really want to help these people sell, to be able to give up their day job so they can pursue their passion. Make their dreams come true,” said Susan.

Her dedication and drive have won her national accolades like “Small Business Sunday” from entrepreneur and Southampton Solent University Chancellor Theo Paphitis twice. She has also launched the “Hampshire

‘My passion became helping others and bringing together people who spend

hours crafting something unique...’

Find out more about Susan Bonnar’s new business:thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk

44 | Living | January 2020

Spells and Spindles, by Talia Bills-Moore, Southampton, HampshireTalia is a textile artist living in Southampton. She creates all sorts of things from free motion embroidery and every part of her work from an initial sketch to lovingly drawing it in thread is done by hand, so each piece is unique. Talia started doing textile art in college 20 years ago, but Spells and Spindles has only been a business for the past year. Talia does crafting alongside being a carer and running a non-profit art group for disabled adults. Sewing brings her a huge amount of pleasure and she loves that it makes other people happy.thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/shop/spells-spindles

The Seaside Sew, by Jo Melton, Stub-bington, HampshireJo makes original handmade gifts, seasonal ornaments, beach bags and clutch purses. They are all sustainably and gorgeously handcrafted by the sea on the south coast of Hampshire, using her own patterns and designs. Jo used to be a wedding dress designer, but now loves working from her shed in Stubbington. She aims to create high-end luxuries and treats.thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/shop/the-seaside-sew

THE BRITISH CRAFT HOUSE SELLER PROFILES

Surrey Woodsmiths, by Jon Hitch-cock, Newdigate, Surrey (graduate from Bournemouth University)Jon recently quit his full-time job as a senior mechanical design engineer to focus full-time on his wooden craft business, Surrey Woodsmiths, which he started four years ago. He aims to create functional art to bring character and authenticity to your home. Nature is his biggest inspiration. Jon gets a huge amount of satisfaction from sending items he has created to customers both in the UK and across the world. His real long term dream is to use the success of his business to fund reforestation projects both in the UK and abroad. thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/shop/surreywoodsmiths

Kinver Ceramics, by Julia Davis, Hal-low, WorcestershireEstablished in 1999 Kinver Ceramics have been commissioned to make fine bone China for many famous companies. Having worked alongside her husband since Kinver Ceramics was established, Julia has been taught all the processes to make a finished item of china from the drawings on the back of an envelope of an idea through to making a model, a mould, to cast, fire, glaze, and decoration. Each item is slip cast by hand and then lovingly decorated using different techniques, including slip trailing, reticulation and hand shaping before being fired in the bisque kiln to achieve the beautiful translucency bone china is known for.thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/shop/kinver-ceramics

Silver Halos, by Hayley Cheshire, Nuneaton, WarwickshireHayley started Silver Halos back in 2014, when fundraising for a charity trek she was completing in Peru. She started making angel bag charms and jewellery, but once returned from her trek Hayley changed direction. She has always loved flowers and quickly found her passion making centre pieces and wreaths. She hasn’t looked back since, creating beautiful and unique front door wreaths using the finest quality artificial flowers and greenery available. thebritishcrafthouse.co.uk/shop/silver-halos