Joyce CoomberSewell

I am a woman of a mature age with 3 grown up daughters & 11 grandchildren. Though born in London I was bought up in the new town of Slough, moving to the South East coast in 1976.

I come from a family of 'special needs'. Of course, to us we are normal and it's 'the others' who have the special needs. I left school at 15 with no qualifications other than being 'thick & stupid'. It wasn't until my youngest was being diagnosed as Dyslexic that the penny dropped. whilst attending evening classes to take GCSE English I asked to be assessed. After being seen by an Educational Psychologist I was told that I had an above average IQ but am Dyslexic.

I had a variety of jobs whilst the girls were small; shops, offices, factories, school dinner lady, & classroom assistant. Some 20yrs ago I went into the telecoms industry, starting in sales, progressing to being director and eventually becoming owner & MD of a Telecoms Billing Platform.

Qualifications; GCSE English 'B' GCSE Maths 'C' NVQ level 3 in Customer Care, a variety of industry qualifications, 2yrs studying at Landmark Education London, & oodles of life experience.

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Jane CoomberSewell

I am a woman of slightly less mature years than Joyce. I come from a family of Public Servants - we all were, and we all continue to be so in one way or another.

Though born in Chatham, I grew up in Upminster, where my twin sister and I went to the best Comp in Town. I left school at 18 and, after a year working as a lifeguard, went to Liverpool Hope University College and read for a degree in English and History, which I did quite well at, if I do say so myself.

From there a spell working nights on a hospital switchboard showed me the reality that a piece of paper, while wonderful, is not everything, until I found a job working in daylight - nearly 10 years in the Civil Service followed, where I specialised in working with Lone Parents and people with Disabilities. This is where I realised that, for me, form filling is an enjoyable challenge. They were also gracious enough to sponsor me to study for a Masters Degree in Public Services Management at the University of York.

From there, I moved on to the Local Authority where I launched and ran a Job Shop for 2 and a half years, before moving back to Kent just over 2 years ago. Here I returned to front line work, delivering a contract to enable the parents of children with multiple disabilities to access work and training. In both roles, I took my bid-writing and strategic thinking to a new level.

Since being made redundant, I have been self-employed, working in various roles - book keeping, proofreading, bid writing, working as an advisor and assistant to school governing bodies. I've helped new companies organise their offices and older companies look at new ideas.

Qualifications: MA Public Services Management (York), BA Hons English/History. PRINCE2 Project Management, NVQ3 Advice and Guidance.

For the last 18 months, we have worked and lived together, raising a disabled teenager, while running both our businesses between us. This means that creating solutions is something we do every day, sometimes without even noticing!

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I'm very good at cakes, but I didn't enjoy and struggled with the office and promotion side of the business. With Jane and Joyce's help, I have grown in confidence and have tools to help make the back room work easier. I can't say it will ever be my favourite part of running my own business, but it is manageable now and I know I can always call on them again if I am faced with another seemingly horrible challenge.

Helen Godden

For Heaven's Cake