A Swindon woman who started a business making handcrafted home decorations has come in for praise from a former Dragon’s Den star.

Emily Lockey began Emily’s Weaving in 2017 after finding a beautiful wall-hanging that was out of her price range, but decided to make her own instead.

Posting her crafted creations online led to requests for more from friends and family, so the 26-year-old began weaving and crocheting them in her spare time.

The following for Emily’s Weaving grew and grew and landed her a place in the Swindon Designer Outlet’s Curated Makers pop-up shop.

Emily contacted Theo Paphitis as part of his Small Business Sunday social media campaign and she was chosen as one of six weekly winners to receive a repost by the well-known entrepreneur.

So, their start-ups were shown off to more than half a million followers across X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram, and highlighted on Mr Paphitis’ website.

Emily Lockey with her handcrafted homeware store Emily’s Weaving (Image: Emily Lockey)

She said: “It’s great to have the support and recognition from Theo after what has been my busiest year to date.

“I created my small business as a shop for all my handmade pieces and a place to talk about all things crafty. I am always buying new yarns and trying out different crafts!

“I am so excited to be a part of the Small Business Sunday community and attend the SBS event in February 2024 to receive my winners certificate.”

Emily said one of her proudest moments was working with craft store chain Hobbycraft to create a beginners guide to weaving, as well as a techniques guide.

One of her most popular crochet items are eco-friendly, reusable cotton pads Face Scrubbies for cleaning the face and removing makeup.

The weekly Small Business Sunday initiative, set up by Theo Paphitis in 2010, now has over 3,500 winners and supports small businesses in the UK.

Mr Paphitis, who is also chairman of Ryman Stationery, Robert Dyas and Boux Avenue, said: “We are thrilled to welcome new #SBS members every week and highlight just how important it is to support our small businesses here in the UK.

“My vision is that everyone who has ever won an #SBS re-tweet from me becomes part of a friendly club; like-minded individuals who can share successes and learnings.

“The website will also give a valuable profile to the winners chosen and I wish Emily’s Weaving every success.”