Ex-office worker who changed her life wants mums to know 'anything is possible'

Kimberley Grimshaw, from Morris Green, went from spending her days behind a desk to producing clothes shipped to Canada, America and Saudi Arabia, all in the space of a year.

The 28-year-old decided to transform her life after giving birth to her first daughter Winter Roe Pitfield, in July 2018.

While on maternity leave Miss Grimshaw went looking for clothes for the newborn but — when she could not find anything she liked — she decided to make her own.

“I wanted to make Winter some clothes because I was on maternity leave so I didn’t have much money and I looked at what was out there and decided I could make something better for her then I was seeing,” she said.

“I had been working in a full time job and if I went back to work and paid for child care and all that I would have been worse off financially.”

The business began after she taught herself to sew and began making and personalising comfy clothes for young Winter.

However, when family and friends began to express an interest in the clothing, Miss Grimshaw decided to turn the hobby into a job and started her own website and Instagram page.

The social media account now has more than 22,000 followers and the business — named Winter Roe after her daughter — produces between 100 and 150 pieces of clothing a week from the attic of the family’s home.

Miss Grimshaw says she receives pictures from mums around the world every day showing their children wearing the clothing and that the job has given her the chance to enjoy Winter’s childhood.

“I have been able to look after Winter full time and I’ve been able to stay with her when I would not have seen her and we would have struggled financially,” Miss Grimshaw said.

“When you go on maternity leave you can feel quite down, you think how am I going to pay these nursery fees and get back to work. But, it’s a good time to open up doors. If I hadn’t had Winter I wouldn’t have had time to learn a new skill and change my life.”